Today is our topic of discussion Reading reports 3
Reading reports 3
Read the following report on pesticide hazards to answer the questions that follow.
“Small shops in Indonesia sell pesticides right alongside the potatoes and rice and other foods,” says Lucas Brader of UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). “The people just collect it in sugar sacks, milk cartons, Coke bottles- whatever is at hand.”
“The laws in less developed countries typically say nothing about repacking of pesticides,” Fred Whittemore of USAID explains. “But in the villages it is done routinely. Parathion in coke bottles stuffed with newspapers with no label is typical.” Gramoxone, which contains the deadly weed-killer paraquat, is not only sometimes sold in Coke bottles – it’s the same colour as Coke.
Fig : A raincoat
“In the rainy season in many tropical countries, the plastic liners used in pesticide bags are used as raincoats,” says Whittemore. “That is an acute problem causing poisoning.”Gramoxone killed at least 18 people during a four-year period in the Western Highlands of Papua New Guinea where it is used on coffee plantations and home gardens.
Questions:
1. How are the small shops in Indonesia responsible for pesticide hazards?
2. How can repacking of pesticides be dangerous to humans?
3. How can the plastic liners used in pesticide bags cause poisoning?
4. How did Gramoxone kill 18 people in Papua New Guinea?
Study these words.
sack (n) – a large bag usually made of strong cloth, jute or artificial fibers
carton (n) – a box made of stiff paper (cardboard) used for holding goods
parathion (n) – a toxic (harmful, poisonous) oil used as an insecticide