Today is our topic of discussion Reading reports 2

Reading reports 2

Read the following report to answer the questions that follow.

In 1972, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimated from the published statistics of 19 countries that there were as many as 500,000 cases of pesticide poisoning per year. In 1985, the later surveys were summarized as follows:

 

Fig : Pesticide spraying

“In 1977, based on notification from several governments and surveys of nine countries, WHO estimated that the number of deaths globally was about 20,640 a year. In 1981, OXFAM, updating the WHO figures, estimated that the number of world pesticide-related poisoning cases was around 750,000 a year.

More recently, the Economic and Social Commission of Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) suggested that pesticide poisoning accidents might amount to two million a year, of which 40,000 could be fatalities.”

WHO also states that “someone in the underdeveloped countries is poisoned by pesticides every minute”. The rate of pesticide poisoning in underdeveloped countries is 13 times greater than that in the USA, according to Virgil Freed, a consultant to the US Agency for International Development (USAID).

Pesticide poisoning is much more common in the Third World than in the industrial countries. This is not only because of the more brutal working conditions there, but also because of hazards of distributing any poison in societies where most people cannot read and have never had to learn the dangers of manmade chemicals.

 

 

Questions:

1. What did the World Health Organization report in 1972 say about pesticide poisoning?

2. How did the 1972 report compare with the 1977 report?

3. What are the main points of difference between the OXFAM and ESCAP reports on pesticide poisoning?

4. Why is pesticide poisoning much more common in the Third World than in the industrial countries?

Study these words.

hazard (n) – danger

estimated (pt of estimate) – calculated

statistics (n pl) – collected numbers which represent facts

surveys (n pl) – If you carry out a survey or study, you try to find out detailed information about people, things, objects, organisations, etc.

notification (n) – written notice given to someone or some organisation

globally (adv) – in the whole world

update (v) – to make more up to date, more modern

amount to – to be equal to

 

 

fatalities (n pl) – accidental deaths

brutal (adj) – very hard; severe