Replies to LegCo questions
LCQ6: Regulation of pesticides
Following is a question by the Hon Albert Chan and a reply by the Secretary for
Food and Health, Dr York Chow, in the Legislative Council today (November 16):
Question:
Residents of Mui Wo and Lamma Island have sought assistance from me recently,
pointing out that pesticides (commonly known as agricultural pesticides) such as
Paraquat, etc. may adversely affect the health of residents and dogs. Some
residents have pointed out that quite a number of people sprayed toxic
pesticides in the vicinity of kindergartens, primary schools and residential
areas in the past few years, and they are worried that such pesticides may pose
health hazard to them, especially young children. Worse still, at least 10 dogs
were killed in September this year after coming into contact with Paraquat.
Among them, some were killed after eating baits poisoned with Paraquat, while
some were poisoned to death after only touching plants sprayed with Paraquat. As
far as I know, this problem is also found in quite a number of districts in Hong
Kong. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(a) whether it knows the respective numbers of dogs poisoned to death in each of
the past three years; among these cases, of the number of those in which dogs
were killed after taking in or coming into contact with Paraquat; and the
channels through which they came into contact with it;
(b) whether the authorities have assessed how the spraying of pesticides such as
Paraquat, etc. in the vicinity of residential areas, kindergartens and primary
schools will adversely affect the health of residents, especially young
children; if they have, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
(c) given that I have learnt that developed countries such as Finland, Sweden
and Austria, etc. have prohibited the use of Paraquat, whether the authorities
will consider stepping up the regulation of pesticides, including banning the
sale of highly toxic pesticides such as Paraquat, etc. and restricting their use
by licensed persons only; if they will, of the details; if not, the reasons for
that?
Reply:
President,
The Administration attaches importance to the safe and proper use of pesticides.
At present, the import, manufacture, sale and supply of pesticides in Hong Kong
are regulated by the Pesticides Ordinance (Cap.133). The Agriculture, Fisheries
and Conservation Department (AFCD) is responsible for enforcing the relevant
provisions. All pesticides for sale in Hong Kong must be registered with the
Director of Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation (DAFC).
DAFC would only register pesticides categorised as slightly or moderately
hazardous by the World Health Organisation (WHO), and would impose restrictions
on the formulation and concentration of the pesticides for retail sale.
Pesticides categorised as extremely hazardous by WHO are not allowed to be
registered. AFCD regularly reviews all the registered pesticides, taking into
account the impact posed to the environment and human beings.
Apart from the registration system, DAFC also exercises strict control on
pesticides through a licence and permit system under Cap.133.
For registered pesticides, under section 7(1) of Cap.133, except with a licence
issued by DAFC, no person shall import, manufacture, sell or supply such
pesticides. As regards unregistered pesticides, a person shall apply for a
permit from DAFC under section 9 of Cap.133 before he could import, manufacture,
sell, supply or have in his possession such pesticides.
In assessing an application for a permit, AFCD would take into account various
factors including the danger and mode of use of the pesticide concerned. If the
application is approved, AFCD may impose conditions to strictly regulate the use
of the pesticide to ensure the safety of users and the public.
My replies to each part of the question are as follows:
(a) From 2009 to October 2011, the Police had referred 32 cases of dogs
suspected to be poisoned to death, involving a total of 64 dogs, to AFCD. None
was related to Paraquat. Details are at the Annex.
The Police did not receive any cases of dogs suspected to be poisoned to death
in Mui Wo in September and October this year. Separately, the Police is
investigating the death of a dog in Lamma Island in September. The dog owner
concerned suspected that her dog was poisoned to death. In order to find out the
cause of the death, the Police has sent samples to the Government Laboratory for
toxicological tests. The test results confirm that the samples contain no
Paraquat or any other common drugs and poisons. During the above investigation,
the Police discovered that there were eight other dogs in Lamma Island which
died in September and had started investigation. However, as the carcasses
concerned had been disposed of by the respective dog owners, the Police was
unable to take samples for further testing.
(b) All pesticides registered in Hong Kong are safe if they are used in
accordance with the instructions on the labels. Paraquat, which is categorised
as moderately hazardous by WHO, is a registered pesticide in Hong Kong. To
ensure safety of the public including users and persons nearby, AFCD has imposed
restrictions on the concentration and formulation of the pesticide when
approving its registration. Paraquat must be diluted before use. The toxicity of
Paraquat will decrease significantly after dilution.
Moreover, when approving the registration of Paraquat, AFCD has stipulated that
a stinking agent, a colourant and an emetic have to be added in order to prevent
accidental intake. The stinking agent is added so that the pesticide will emit a
strong odour to serve as a warning; the colourant is added to give the pesticide
a strange colour to distinguish it from drinks; and the emetic is added to
induce vomiting and discharging from the body in case the pesticide has been
taken accidentally.
AFCD has spared no effort in educating the public on the safe and proper use of
pesticides. To remind users on the importance of safety measures, appropriate
instructions have been put on the labels of all pesticides including Paraquat.
In general, if the pesticide is used in accordance with the instructions on the
label, it should be safe. That said, we would remind adults to look after
children under their care to avoid contact with areas that have been treated
with pesticides. In the event of contacting Paraquat-tainted vegetation
accidentally, washing with clean water will suffice.
(c) Paraquat is a fast acting and effective herbicide. It plays a major role in
local agriculture, land management and mosquito control. At present, more than a
hundred countries in the world still allow the use of Paraquat, including most
of the tropical and subtropical countries and some developed countries such as
the USA, Canada, Australia, Japan, Singapore and the Mainland, etc.
To ensure the safety of users and the public, AFCD will continue to closely
monitor regulation of pesticides in the international arena, and will conduct
regular reviews on all registered pesticides including Paraquat.
Thank you, President.
Ends/Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Issued at HKT 15:35
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LCQ6 Annex