Report from the Sub-comittee on the environment and health

technical and cultivation methods that reduce <strong>the</strong> use of pesticides
without significant economic losses. The scenario covers <strong>the</strong> areas of
<strong>the</strong> 0+scenario and <strong>the</strong> +scenario and is based in part on <strong>the</strong> principle
of integrated prevention and control. Here, <strong>the</strong> treatment frequency
index is 1.73.
The sub-committee has included a number of consequential analyses
covering soil fauna, wild flora, ponds and <strong>the</strong> daily intake of pesticide
residues in food products. The sub-committee has reviewed <strong>the</strong> latest
knowledge on <strong>the</strong> occurrence of pesticides in groundwater, watercourses,
lakes, ponds, soil water, drain water and rainwater and has assessed <strong>the</strong>
dispersal and fate of <strong>the</strong> pesticides through surface run-off, spray drift
and evaporation, degradation and leaching. The pollution <strong>from</strong> filling and
washing sites for spraying equipment has also been assessed. The subcommittee
has assessed <strong>the</strong> effects of pesticides on flora and fauna in
cultivated and uncultivated terrestrial ecosystems – watercourses, lakes
and coastal waters – and <strong>the</strong> exposure of and effects on humans – both
agricultural workers and <strong>the</strong> population as a whole.
The sub-committee has looked in particular at <strong>the</strong> coformulants used in
connection with <strong>the</strong> pesticides and has also assessed <strong>the</strong> pesticides in
relation to o<strong>the</strong>r chemical substances used in agriculture, including
natural substances and pesticides of natural origin. In addition, <strong>the</strong> subcommittee
has examined various methods for ranking pesticides and
investigated <strong>the</strong> possibility of operationalising <strong>the</strong> precautionary
principle in connection with pesticides.
Lastly, <strong>the</strong> sub-committee has assessed <strong>the</strong> environmental and health
aspects of a number of alternative and new methods in relation to <strong>the</strong>
scenarios set up for total or partial phasing-out of pesticides.
The general conclusion of <strong>the</strong> sub-committee concerning <strong>the</strong> scenarios is
that only <strong>the</strong> 0-scenario and <strong>the</strong> 0+scenario are based on consistent use of
<strong>the</strong> precautionary principle. The +scenario, in which <strong>the</strong> use of pesticides
is reduced by 80% compared with present production would result in a
marked reduction of <strong>the</strong> dispersal of pesticides and <strong>the</strong> exposure to <strong>the</strong>m
but would still imply a potential risk of effects where pesticides are used.
In <strong>the</strong> ++scenario with a treatment frequency index of 1.73, <strong>the</strong> reduction
in <strong>the</strong> use of pesticides would be smaller than <strong>the</strong> treatment frequency
targets in <strong>the</strong> Pesticide Action Plan <strong>from</strong> 1986. This plan did not take
account of <strong>the</strong> special problems with groundwater and surface water.
11.2 Occurrence of pesticides in <strong>the</strong> environment
The sub-committee has reviewed <strong>the</strong> latest knowledge concerning <strong>the</strong>
occurrence of pesticides in groundwater, watercourses, surface water,
drain water, soil water and rainwater, and has assessed <strong>the</strong> dispersal of
pesticides through surface run-off, spray drift and evaporation. It has also
assessed <strong>the</strong> degradation and leaching of pesticides and <strong>the</strong> pollution
<strong>from</strong> filling and washing sites. The sub-committee has drawn specific
conclusions in <strong>the</strong> individual areas and has arrived at <strong>the</strong> following
general conclusions and recommendations:
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