Abstract
This study presents an overview of the current situation of highly hazardous pesticides (HHPs) in North Africa and Near East countries (NENA). This work reviews the registered pesticides in the region and identify HHPs being used according to the criteria 1–8 for HHPs of FAO/WHO Guidelines on HHPs. In addition, to identify the weakness and the need of the region to mitigate the risk from the use of HHPs, the report ended with recommendations needed in the region to improve the pesticide managements and registration, such as improving the agricultural practices by adopting the integrated pest management IPM and including replacing HHPs with ecosystem-friendly alternatives if available. The total number of pesticides registered and used in NENA region is 642 active ingredients (IA). Eighty-nine HHPs are still in use in NENA region and 50% of them are evaluated under 1–7 criteria of GHS HHPs. This evaluation shows that 50% of HHPs are insecticides, 22% fungicides, 10% herbicides, 8% nematocides, and 10% rodenticides. The rest of 38 HHPs are identified under criteria 8. This high number of HHPs still in use in some NENA countries urges the need of technical assistance to reduce the use of HHPs. The type of assistant varies from country to other; to identify the priority of technical and legal assistant needed, a country-based assessments must be carried out at the near future.
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Acknowledgements
We thank the Registration of pesticide unit in Jordan, Iraq, Tunisia, Kingdom of Saudi Aribia (KSA), Kuwait, Kingdom of Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, Egypt, and in Morocco, who provided information on the pesticides registered, and used in addition to other related information. Without their assistance, it would not be possible to identify and assess the HHPs in their countries. Acknowledgment is not complete if we do not thank Grenier Beatrice (NSP), Calcagnini Giulia (NSP) and Chiu Grazia (NSP), and Melody Sigera (NSP) FAO, Rome, for their kind support.
Funding
This work is funded by Pest and Pesticide Management, Plant Production and Protection Division, Food and Agriculture organization of the United Nations (FAO), Rome.
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Thaer Yaseen and M. Jamal Hajjar are equally involved in collecting the data and information of registered pesticides in the NENA regions, identification of HHPs, assessment of risks and proposed mitigation upon the recent situation of pesticide uses in the evaluated countries, and preparing and drafting the report of HHPs in NENA region. Gu Baogen was involved in reviewing the lists of identified HHPs and risk assessment and drafting of the final version.
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Yaseen, T., Hajjar, M.J. & Baogen, G. High hazzard pesticides (HHPs) in Near East and North Africa (NENA), constrains and recommendations to mitigate the risk of HHPs. Environ Sci Pollut Res 30, 1133–1151 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-022-22023-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-022-22023-x