Approaches for regulating water in South Africa for the presence of pesticides

E Cairncross,A Nowicki,Ma Dalvie,L London

doi:10.4314/wsa.v31i1.5121

E Cairncross, A Nowicki + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.4314/wsa.v31i1.5121

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Abstract

The public health significance of pesticide pollution of water sources in South Africa has received little attention from policy-makers and regulators, unlike microbiological quality of potable water. This anomaly is reflected in the current legislation in South Africa which is marked by inadequate regulatory standards for pesticides in water. Due to high costs, technical constraints and shortage of laboratory skills for pesticide analyses in South Africa, the poor regulatory framework has no monitoring data on which to base policy. In contrast, international experience in setting standards for maximum permissible levels of pesticides in water is extensive. The different approaches used by the World Health Organisation, the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the European Union are outlined, as well as the assumptions underlying these different approaches. Drawing on these models, recommendations are made as to how to integrate concerns for pesticide safety in environmental regulation and risk assessment in South Africa. Such measures would ensure consistency with recent developments in environmental management in South Africa that give primacy to a number of key environmental policy principles. A public health perspective should ensure that growing international concerns for long-term adverse health and environmental impacts arising from the presence of pesticides in water are adequately addressed in regulatory controls in South Africa.

Highlights

Long-term low-dose exposures to pesticides are increasingly thought to cause chronic health problems, including reproductive, immunological, respiratory, neurological and carcinogenic impacts (Maroni and Fait, 1993; Schettler et al, 1996; Gray and Ostby, 1998; Dalvie et al, 1999; Porter et al, 1999; Kirkhorn and Schenker, 2002; Colosio et al, 2003)
The public health significance of pesticide pollution of water sources in South Africa has received relatively little attention from policy-makers and regulators, unlike microbiological quality of potable water, which remains a high priority of legislative measures
This anomaly is reflected in the current drinking water guidelines in South Africa (Department of Water Affairs and Forestry, 1996a), which have detailed standards for inorganics and coliform content (Table 1) but few standards for organic contaminants, and only one standard for a pesticide, atrazine

Summary

Introduction

Long-term low-dose exposures to pesticides are increasingly thought to cause chronic health problems, including reproductive, immunological, respiratory, neurological and carcinogenic impacts (Maroni and Fait, 1993; Schettler et al, 1996; Gray and Ostby, 1998; Dalvie et al, 1999; Porter et al, 1999; Kirkhorn and Schenker, 2002; Colosio et al, 2003). The public health significance of pesticide pollution of water sources in South Africa has received relatively little attention from policy-makers and regulators, unlike microbiological quality of potable water, which remains a high priority of legislative measures. The absence of a regulatory framework and water standards for, and monitoring data on pesticides, means that South Africa lacks the capacity to address a potentially serious public health matter. It is usually the poorest and most marginalised groups in society who bear the brunt of environmental pollution from pesticides (London and Rother, 1998)

International water standards

Some criticisms of regulatory approaches

Carbon tetrachloride

National and international environmental policy developments

South United US EPA Australia Canada Africa Kingdom