Records a number of recommendations and conclusions concerning the risks to human health posed by the use of pesticides and the precautions needed to protect both exposed workers and the general public. The report provides concise information on a selection of topics in line with recent advances in knowledge, including improved understanding of the toxicology of pesticides. Both general recommendations and recommendations specific to individual pesticides are included. The opening section, which reviews trends in pesticide use, notes that chemical pesticides will continue to play a dominant role in vector control, particularly in view of the recent resurgence of vector-borne diseases. Alternatives to chemical control are also briefly reviewed. A section devoted to recent research on the safety of pesticides summarizes toxicological data on the pyrethroids, deet, chemical larvicides applied to drinking-water, and mutant bacteria used in the biological control of larvae. Other sections discuss recommended procedures for aircraft disinsection, establish basic principles for the risk management of household pesticides, and issue advice on the labelling of pesticide containers and the special circumstances under which some types of containers can be safely reused. The remaining sections discuss ways to improve training courses for pesticide users, summarize advances in methods for monitoring human exposure to pesticides, and call for urgent action to reduce the severe problems caused by acute pesticide poisoning in developing countries. The report concludes with concise guidelines for the treatment of poisoning due to organophosphorus, carbamate, and organochlorine insecticides, anticoagulant rodenticides, and paraquat.

eng fre rus spa.

nep.

WHODOC

WHO monograph

4