 |
|
| Author |
 Topic  |
|
|
Momodou
Denmark
11785 Posts |
 Posted - 24 Aug 2010 : 12:29:18
|
Poised to preventing Deaths by Mistake and Ignorance
By: Saikou Jammeh
On his way home, a man bought pesticide which was stored in an unlabeled bottle. Upon reaching home, he hid it under the bed.
His wife, who at the time went to hospital, came back with her medicine also stored in an unlabeled bottle. She too buried it under the same bed.
After some time, she was to take her medicine as prescribed.
She bent low and unknowingly pulled-out the pesticide and drank it. It was late before she knew it. What an expensive mistake?
This was a story told by a senior official of the National Environment Agency (NEA) on Wednesday during a day’s meeting on the classification and labeling of chemicals.
But story of this nature is familiar in The Gambia. In some instances, some people have mistaken pesticide/ insecticide for sugar and mix it in the porridge or tea. The cheapest consequence has been that the family goes hungry until another meal.
Apparently, NEA official’s story has rekindled many memories of such incidents. Another participant also told the story of a woman in Upper River region who has applied a deadly chemical on her two children’s head with intent to rid some bugs. Both died as a result.
At the workshop, the blame was that there was no classification or labeling on the chemicals for the women to understand that the substance was deadly.
It is against this backdrop that the National Environment Agency is moving to ensuring that chemicals are properly classified and labeled in order to prevent such deaths by mistakes and ignorance.
“… we acknowledge the valuable contribution chemicals make to modern societies and economies, while at the same time recognising the potential threat to sustainable development,” said Momodou Sarr, the head of the Agency.
He made this remark last Wednesday during a day-long inception and planning meeting on “Strengthening Capacities for Strategic Approach to International Chemical Management” (SAICM) in the implementation of Globally Harmonized System (GHS) of classification and labeling of chemicals in The Gambia.
The event was organised by NEA with assistance from UNITA and funded by SAICM. It brought together stakeholders drawn from key sectors including agriculture, industry, transport and consumers among others.
It event also marked the official launching of this project that is to the tune of $175, 000, succeeding the pilot programme, which ran from 2005-2007.
The pilot programme was a success, according to the national coordinator of the programme Momodou Kanteh who is the director of technical services at NEA.
“We did it [pilot] successfully well,” he said, noting that workshops were convened and stakeholders were trained.
He added that a national coordinating committee was formed comprising of people from different professions and a national situational and gap analysis was also conduced.
As stipulated in the MOU between The Gambia and UNITA/ILO, a ground was laid in 2008 for the implementation of GHS, he said.
What’s GHS
As a GHS country, this would require us to import and export chemicals with internationally agreed upon system of hazards classification and labeling, Mehdia Siari, a consultant from UNITA has said.
She however said that GHS membership is though a voluntary, it is a necessity in today’s world. Most countries are joining and those that failed to embrace it will not enjoy trading with member states.
NEA boss also said that GHS is developed within the framework of the SAICM, a noble initiative in international cooperation to protect human health and the environment.
The decision to develop SAICM was endorsed by heads of state and government at their world summit in sustainable development in Johannesburg in 2002 and in New York in 2005.
SAICM was formally adopted by the International Conference on Chemicals Management in Dubai in February 2006 after several years of wider stakeholder consultations proving a policy framework for chemicals to be produced and used in ways that minimize significant adverse impacts on the environment and human health, Sarr has said.
Gambia and chemicals
Also speaking, The Gambia’s environment minister Jatto Sillah said the country do not manufacture chemicals compounds but heavily imports it for agricultural, industrial and consumer needs.
And considering that The Gambia is an agrarian country that depends heavily on pesticides, he said sound management of chemicals is essential.
In this regard, he added, The Gambia recognizing the vulnerability of a population compounded by a low level of awareness on chemicals has developed an institutional framework for the sound management of chemicals.
“We have Pesticides Control Management Act of 1994 to regulate manufacture, importation, transport, use and disposal of chemicals,” Minister Jatto added. “We have also signed and ratified a number of international and sub-regional Accords and Agreements for the sound management of chemicals…”.
What Benefits
“GHS has come at a right time as our country is endeavoring to increase food production and comprehensively diversify the entire agricultural sector,” Sarr added.
“To achieve the aims and targets of our new agricultural policy, the use of agrochemicals including pesticides and fertilizers will be totally inevitably.
“With the GHS project, we should be able to prepare ourselves for the onslaught of chemicals targeting the agricultural sector.
“Correctly classifying and labeling the imported products will both protect the health of users and the wider environment preventing these chemicals from leaching into our rivers, aquifers and other sensitive fragile ecosystems,” he said.
The challenge
Now that The Gambia has kick started this ambitious project, the challenge will be on how to raise the people’s awareness.
Deliberating on “ Gambia experience on GHS”, Lamin Kinteh, a committee member has said that most Gambians including literates are ignorant of chemical symbols.
“We should increase awareness creation,” he noted, “sensitization is key because lots of problem occur as a result of the lack of it. Even some extension workers who are expected to inform the farmers are ignorant of chemical labels.”
Source: Dailynews
|
A clear conscience fears no accusation - proverb from Sierra Leone |
|
|
kayjatta
2978 Posts |
Posted - 25 Aug 2010 : 08:31:48
|
| This is extremely funny. I think at Saikou Sabally's naming ceremony (my due respect to Sainey, a very good brother!), they (the Baddibunkas) ate fertilizer thinking it was...; what was it again, sugar or porridge? |
 |
|
|
tamsier
United Kingdom
557 Posts |
Posted - 28 Aug 2010 : 00:37:06
|
| I don't think this is about the ignorance of the user when they mistakenly use this poison thinking it is sugar. If it is not labelled, a third party can mistakenly belive it is sugar especially if stored in the same usual places. I can see how mistakes like these happens. Even a literate person can fall victim to this when it is not labelled and merely put in plastic bags or regular bottles/jars. |
Tamsier
Serere heritage. Serere religion. Serere to the end.
Roog a fa ha. |
|
|
| |
Topic |
|
|
|
| Bantaba in Cyberspace |
© 2005-2024 Nijii |
|
|
|
Topic Locked
