Women who used the products reported health problems and a new report wants the government to regulate the chemicals.
About 80 per cent of pesticides used by women in parts of Nigeria’s North-central region are highly toxic to humans and require additional regulation, a new survey has found. In many instances, the products had been banned in Europe and other places.
“The survey results among the interviewed women farmers show that over 80% of the pesticides products and their active ingredients in use belong to the category of Highly Hazardous Pesticides , and in many instances have lost approval in countries and regions with high safety standards such as the European Union ,” the report said.in 2021 found that 40 per cent of all the pesticides used in Nigeria had been banned by the EU due to their high toxicity.
It found that 75 per cent of the women who used chemical pesticides experienced health challenges that they attributed to the pesticide use.According to the report, some of the symptoms identified by the surveyed women were difficulty in breathing, dizziness, headaches, nausea, vomiting, eye problems, skin rashes, catarrh, diarrhoea, and respiratory problems were among the most common health effects reported.