Appendix D: Available Production and Use Data 



Appendix D 

 Summary of Available Production and Use Data 



Since World War II, pesticides have been manufactured in and imported into Latin 

 America countries for agricultural and public health uses. Even though most chlorinated pesticides 

 are currently banned, there are more than 300 active ingredients in 2,000 formulations of non- 

 chlorinated pesticides being produced in Brazil alone (Lara, 1992). The use of pesticides, even 

 when applied correctly, has caused ecological and public health problems such as increased pest 

 resistance, high residue levels in food, applicator toxicity and unintended damage to non-target 

 organisms. Much of the knowledge about pesticide cycling in the coastal environment has been 

 produced in temperate regions of the world and specifics of chemical cycling in the tropical 

 environment , including pesticide longevity and biological effects, remains poorly understood. 



In order to understand the environmental cycling of chlorinated hydrocarbon contaminants, 

 it is necessary to determine quantities of each material used and when, where and how fast that 

 material was injected into the coastal ecosystem. Routes of loading, rates of loading and the 

 chemical reactions to which each contaminant is subjected must be known before environmental 

 scientists can begin to unravel the complex lethal and sublethal effects these chemicals may cause in 

 various ecosystem components and at multiple levels of biological organization (e.g., cellular, 

 organ, individual, population, community or ecosystem). 



For a variety of industrial, economic and political reasons, data on production and use of 

 toxic chemicals is difficult to obtain. A thorough investigation of production and use of chlorinated 

 biocides in Latin America would require a substantial effort and in recognition of this difficulty 

 (and limitations of funds), acquisition of production and use data could not be diligently pursued as 

 a part of this project. All participants do, however, understand the importence of such information 

 and have made an effort to acquire reports where they were available. Host-Country scientists 

 searched for production and use data as a part of their support of the Project and reports they 

 located are included in the reference section of this Appendix. While a significant effort was made, 

 this collection of citations should not be considered comprehensive or complete. Cited reports do 

 contain extensive data which can yield a greater understanding of production and use in the Latin 

 America region and could be synthesized as one step toward an improved understanding of 

 environmental cycling. This synthesis is also a topic for more thorough investigation by scientists 

 in the region, perhaps guided by a regional subgroup of the International Mussel Watch 

 Committee. 



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