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Ray of hope in the fight against lion-killer pesticide
A lion in the Maasai Mara. Over the past six years, 62 lions have been killed by poison. Picture: Stephen Mudiari
The implications for human health are not known. One of the traits of furadan is that its effects are reversible if the dosage is not enough to kill. If one is indirectly consuming it in small dosages, it may not have any affect.
A study by two Kenyan scientists, Martin Odino and Darcy Ogada, completed in 2008, revealed that furadan was available in nearly all agrovet stores, it was sold without instruction or training, and was extensively abused to poison everything from problem dogs, hyenas, jackals and crocodiles to birds for food, fish for food, termites in Naivasha, moles in Baringo, and even to clear bees.
Its reputation as a killer pesticide means that it is used for any problem animal control situation.
Unlike USA, Canada and Europe, we do not have a government desk that compiles all the incident reports, conducts regular surveys on how these products are used or misused, or tests water quality or other impacts on the environment.
“Our regulators simply do not monitor the situation after approving a pesticide for general use,” said Ms Kahumbu.
“There are a number of organisations and researchers involved in gathering evidence since 2007,” remarked Dr Ogada, a member of Nature Kenya Bird Committee and a wildlife ecologist who has been studying birds of prey since 1997.
“When used according to the labelled instructions, furadan only kills insects. These are picked up by birds which become sick and are prone to predation or simply die. These die offs are rarely witnessed.
“In terms of abuse of the product, we know that furadan is used in total disregard of the safety precautions on the label — those applying furadan on crops are supposed to wear boots, gloves, face mask, and not re-enter a field for up to 15 days; it is used in rice schemes yet it’s only to be used on dry land as it is deadly to fish and birds. It is not supposed to be used in wildlife areas, it is not supposed to be used on many crops — Kenyan farmers rarely follow these instructions to the book and there are no penalties for not doing so,” Dr Ogada added.
In a recent workshop on pesticide externalities, the International Centre for Insect Physiology and Ecology concluded that there are far-reaching effects of pesticides in Kenya. Over eight per cent of chemicals used in agriculture are highly hazardous while 57 per cent are moderately hazardous.
“Farmers’ technical skills in pesticide handling varied widely but there are serious difficulties in documenting chronic health problems resulting from pesticide use. This is exposing consumers to dangerous levels of pesticides, many of which are even banned in the country,” said Ms Kahumbu.
Since the furadan issue went public, Nature Kenya and other organisations have been monitoring the sale of furadan in agrovet stores, chemists and pharmacies. The April report shows that it is still found on the shelves in Nairobi and Watamu.
Unfortunately there’s concern over a black market developing. A blog has been set up to report incidences.
“Nature Kenya’s Bird Committee is working out how to get tighter regulations on all toxic agrochemicals,” said Dr Ogada. “And that means working through parliament.
“If furadan is banned in Kenya, we hope to see a significant reduction in poisoning. The problem is that furadan is a carbofuran. Unlike the organophosphate-based pesticides like DDT which bio-accumalates, carbofuran does not bio-accumulate and therefore it is difficult to test for in humans, especially since the effects are reversible in minute doses,” Dr Ogada added.
“Ten years ago, Kenya had 30,000 lions. Today, we have about 2,000 left,” remarked Ms Kahumbu.
