Unearthed: Pesticides link to cancer rise
By KNA, February 10, 2023Researchers are convinced there is a possible link between the use of pesticides on crops and the increasing cases of cancer in the Mount Kenya region.
The Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service (Kephis) chairman, Peter Weru, says a study on this will be done in the 10 counties of central Kenya.
It will help the government to come up with mitigation measures against toxic farm inputs.
A 2022 report by the Ministry of Health revealed that Nyeri, Murang’a, Kirinyaga and Embu counties had the heaviest cancer burden in Kenya.
At the time, cases of cancer in Nyeri stood at 2,127 for every 100,000 people, while Murang’a had 2,123 cases, followed by Kirinyaga at 2,033.
Others were Kiambu (1,783), Meru (1,789), Nyandarua (1,776), Tharaka Nithi (1,644) and Nakuru (1,612).
“We want to find out whether the cancer surge is related to use of agrochemicals,” Weru told reporters on the sidelines of a courtesy call at Nyeri Governor Mutahi Kahiga’s office.
Weru thanked the county government of Nyeri for donating a piece of land for construction of a regional Kephi office to host its staff and ensure farmers access safe and quality seeds.
Last October, a German organisation called for an end to importation of pesticides that have been flagged as toxic.
The Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung group claimed that statistics showed 76 per cent of the total volume of pesticides used in Kenya contain one or more active ingredients that are categorized as highly hazardous.
It said such pesticides (currently banned in European Union countries) have been linked to increased cases of cancer, disruption of hormonal and nervous systems and genetic defects in children.
Speaking during the launch of Pesticide Plus, a publication on toxic chemicals, the firm’s director Joachim Paul said many pesticides that have been outlawed in Europe are finding their way to Africa.
“In Kenya, 44 per cent of the pesticides used are banned in Europe,” he said in a press statement, adding: “These pesticides pose great risk to farmers, local communities and consumers” .
“Women are at higher risk due to traditional gender roles and biological effects of pesticides. For example, there is an established link between breast cancer and pesticides,” he said.
A report by the Pest Control Products Board (PCPB) and the Agrochemicals Association of Kenya (AAK) two years ago, showed a total of 25 active chemical ingredients in tomato and kale samples in Kenya. More than half of these pesticides have already been withdrawn from EU countries.
Of the samples, 60 per cent exceeded the EU-recommended maximum residue levels.
Statistics from AAK show 96 per cent of Kenyan farmers use pesticides. In 2016, the World Health Organisation, while acknowledging the role played by pesticides in curbing diseases in crops, highlighted several health risks associated with their persistent use .
Reports from the National Pesticide Residue Monitoring Programme (NPRMP) undertaken by Kephis found that 1,139 food samples taken in 2018, 530 (46.53 per cent) had pesticide detections, while 123 (10.80 per cent) had exceeded the set EU maximum levels.
Similarly, according to the samples collected from edible greens, the highest pesticide residue detection was in kales, peas and capsicum, at 94.40 per cent, 75.84 per cent and 59.18 per cent, respectively, according to KEPHIS report for the year ended June 30, 2018.
Kephis managing director Theophilus Mutui said climate change has complicated the country’s efforts in addressing food shortage, owing to an influx of new pests and diseases.
He cited the fall army worm, a pest found in cold areas but which has now found its way to the tropics.
Solutions include adoption of climate smart crop varieties that can withstand pests and diseases, besides being drought tolerant, early maturing and nutrient-rich.
He called for adherence to laid-down safety practices in regard to local seed varieties.
He said farmers can go for local or scientifically improved seed varieties — but these must be duly certified under the Seed and Plant Variety Act.
Governor Kahiga promised to partner with Kephis in pushing for policies that would boost seed safety and food security.