Wear a
Hat
Don’t Smoke
Wear
Gloves
Rips
Wear Long
Pants and
Sleeves
Pants outside of
Boots
 Cover all open wounds and soars
 Always wash after using chemicals
 Wash clothing in contact with chemicals separately
What to do for chemical contamination:
Inhalation : Breathe fresh air and rest
Skin Contact : Remove contaminated clothes. Rinse and wash skin with water and soap
Eyes : Rinse with plenty of water for several minutes
Ingestion : Rinse mouth. Seek medical attention
You can avoid these health and environmental issues by avoiding chemicals all together! Ask if fruits, vegetables and rice that you purchase have been grown without chemicals, also look to others for examples of how to farm organically.
Disposal of chemical containers:
 Rinse containers immediately 3 times. Add rinse water to spray tank as part of make-up solution
 Do not rinse with natural water source
 Do not burn containers
 Do not store anything in containers
 Read labels for specific disposal instructions
 Puncture containers so they cannot be reused
 It is the responsibility of industry and government to establish a system of collection for used containers
“Chemicals have health and environmental impacts for Umoong villagers. Chemicals are expensive to use but are still the main component of our agricultural practices. If we can reduce the use of chemicals our lives will be happy and we will have more money to save.”
- Meh Duangta
Know
What
You
Grow
Additional Resources:
AAN: http://aanesan.wordpress.com/

Brand Name Active Ingredient WHO
Classification*
Round up Glyphosate Slightly
Hazardous
Furudan Carbofuran
Bidrin Dicrotophos
Highly
Hazardous
Highly
Hazardous
EPN
Lannate
EPN
Methomyl
Extremely
Hazardous
Highly
Hazardous
Nominee Bispyribac Slightly
Hazardous
Polydoll
DDT
Red Dog,
Pyratan
Parathion
Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane
2, 4-D Sodium Salt
Extremely
Hazardous
Moderately
Hazardous
Moderately
Hazardous
*WHO Classification
This classification is an international scale recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) to indicate the range of toxicity experienced when people come into contact with chemicals. The scale includes different warning messages and colors for each level:
Extremely Dangerous  ”Danger – Poison”
Highly Dangerous  “Danger – Poison”
Moderately Dangerous  “Warning”
Slightly Dangerous  “Caution”
Title:
Key:
 There are a number of health effects that result from chemical usage.
 Chemicals used for agriculture are highly toxic and may depress the nervous system upon exposure.
 At very high levels, chemical exposure can cause respiratory paralysis and death.
Umoong:
 Three villagers have died in the past two years from cancer. The cause is unknown.


Villagers are experiencing frequent headaches.
Villagers have dust allergies and respiratory problems.
 Chemical agriculture requires high input costs at the beginning of each growing season, often resulting in
 debt
65% of farmers in Isaan are in debt
 Over one-third of villagers surveyed in Umoong claim their current agricultural incomes are insufficient
 Once produce is sold, loans still need to be payed back, regardless of crop yields
 This cycle prevents farmers from escaping debt and causes them to rely on chemical companies every year
 Companies typically sell both the seeds and corresponding chemicals, encouraging farmers to use more and more chemicals, regardless of need

effects on wildlife, which are a natural food resource
 In Umoong, villagers have struggled finding tao, frogs, crabs and fish in the rice fields.
 Pesticides can also contaminate surface water and groundwater in this area
Organic Agriculture promotes a healthy ecosystem:
 Improves soil quality over time by restoring the nutrient cycle and allowing the growth of fauna
 Can combat groundwater pollution through soil filtration and greater biodiversity
 Creates suitable environments for biodiversity to thrive and establishes the natural food chain
 Encourages ecological vitality which allows for humans and the natural world to coexist for the indefinite future
 Creates a sustainable agricultural system
 Heavy industry in close proximity to agricultural land can pollute water sources and degrade soil
 Industrial practices that involve resource extraction introduce contaminants into the surrounding environment
 Resource extraction are also dependent on water resources typically used for agriculture
 In Umoong village 80% of villagers surveyed by
CIEE cited drought as a threat to their crops