334130
Impact of environmental policy gaps on food security in Suriname
Firoz Abdoel Wahid, MD MPH,
Department of Global Environmental Health Sciences, Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, New Orleans, LA
Jeffrey Wickliffe, PhD,
Department of Global Environmental Health Sciences, Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, New Orleans, LA
Mark Wilson, MSPH, PhD,
Department of Global Environmental Health Sciences, Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, New Orleans, LA
W. Bradley Hawkins, MS, MPH, Dr.,
Department of Global Environmental Health Sciences, Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, New Orleans, LA
Maureen Y. Lichtveld, MD, MPH,
Department of Global Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA
Pesticides are used extensively in Suriname for agricultural purposes. 73,144.77 kg of insecticides, 447,390.80 kg of fungicides, and 277,234.00 kg of herbicides were imported in 2013. Currently, no policies exist on distribution and sale. Crop testing to assess pesticide residues in produce and medicinal plants is absent. However, data from the Netherlands (2011-2013) showed 20% of imported produce from Suriname contained pesticide residues exceeding the European Union (EU) Maximum Residue Limits (MRLs). The purpose of the study is to assess the public health implications of pesticides use in the absence of a comprehensive environmental policy, in Suriname a middle-income country. The study is a component of the Caribbean Consortium for Research in Environmental and Occupational Health funded by the National Institutes of Health Fogarty International Center. The study is being conducted in three phases. In Phase I, 32 insecticides and 12 fungicides were tested on 7 frequently consumed crops (tannia, cabbage, long beans, peppers, rice, sweet potatoes, banana) and 1 medicinal plant (Phyllanthus amarus). In Phase II, 3 pesticides were added to the existing pesticide analysis panel to analyze additional produce samples collected from two other area food markets. A detailed dietary survey in the most vulnerable population, 200 pregnant women, will be conducted in Phase III to comprehensively assess dietary intake patterns of the tested produce. Endosulfan in tannia exceeded the EU MRL in both testing rounds. Phase II environmental testing confirmed endosulfan in Phyllanthus amarus, lindane in Tannia, lambda-cyhalothrin in Chinese cabbage and cypermethrin in tomatoes at levels exceeding MRLs of the EU and the United States Department of Agriculture. Endosulfan and lindane are banned under the Stockholm Convention and prohibited in Suriname. The results emphasize the urgency to address critical environmental policy gaps and the implications of those gaps for food security.
Learning Areas:
Environmental health sciences
Public health or related laws, regulations, standards, or guidelines
Public health or related public policy
Public health or related research
Learning Objectives:
Describe the public health consequences of pesticide contamination of food crops and medicinal plants
Interpret the role of diet as related to pesticide exposure
Identify environmental policy gaps related to pesticides and food security
Keyword(s): Food Security, Chemical Exposures & Prevention
Presenting author's disclosure statement:Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: My doctoral research and training is focused on the effects of the agricultural use of pesticides on public health in Suriname. The central research theme is assessing dietary exposure to pesticides through contaminated produce and medicinal plants in pregnant women. During the initial step of the project I characterized the pesticide contamination in frequently consumed produce and medicinal plants. The data resulting from this assessment are the subject of the abstract I am submitting.
Any relevant financial relationships? No
I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines,
and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed
in my presentation.
