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A regulation hazardous to the health of our country
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by Sanitsuda Ekachai
Bangkok Post
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We simply cannot let them get away with murder by hiding themselves behind the faceless entity of the Committee on Hazardous Substances, which has issued an outrageous regulation that labels our common herbs as "toxic substances". So the neem, fragrant lemongrass, ginger, galangal, turmeric, Chinese celery and chilli - all have suddenly become toxic substances.
Are they crazy?
Most probably not, because this announcement has the fingerprints of agro-chemical multinational corporations all over it.
Four decades after the Green Revolution which introduced heavy use of farm chemicals to increase productivity, it has become recognised wordwide how dangerous these chemicals are to our earth.
Apart from killing the soil and contaminating the waterways as well as underground water, the toxic residues permanently stay in the natural environment, causing great damage throughout the entire food chain.
While over-exposure to toxic chemical pesticides has killed countless farmers, the dangerous residues are also believed to be one of the most important environmental causes for the dramatic rise in cancer worldwide.
Thailand is among the heaviest users of toxic farm chemicals in Southeast Asia. And probably the most reckless.
Research shows that about 70 per cent of chemical pesticides used in Thailand are not allowed in the West. They are also categorised by the World Health Organisation as highly hazardous, if not extremely hazardous.
In just two decades, Thailand's use of chemical fertiliser has increased four-fold and chemical pesticides six-fold.
As a result, 81 per cent of all reservoir water is contaminated with DDT and other toxic substances, 17% of farmers have pesticides in their bloodstream, and nearly all fruit samples have residuals higher than safety standards, according to a study in 1994.
In the period 1988-93, pesticide-related illnesses also increased 17-fold.
Given these statistics, the past decade has seen the growth of farmers' and consumers' green movements to reduce the use of toxic farm chemicals and to promote organic farming.
For the farmers, apart from a desire to restore their soil and their health, they have also realised that the extremely expensive farm chemicals are the reason why they cannot make ends meet.
Hence their return to folk knowledge, to switch to herbal pesticides by using a variety of indigenous plants to get rid of dangerous pests while keeping the good insects safe.
From individual use of herbal pesticides, the growing market for organic produce has led to commercial production of herbal pesticides as a cottage industry in many locales.
Guess who is most unhappy about this?
For the agro-chemical giants, their challenge is how to stop this green pest-control trend.
No matter what the Committee on Hazardous Substances says, there is something fishy in its regulation against 13 medicinal plants.
As if to avoid a storm of criticism - since these herbs are commonly used as food ingredients and herbal medicine - the announcement says these medicinal plants are only toxic when used as pesticides!
We must not only find out the "why's" of this silly logic, but the "who" that will benefit from it.
Organic farming is already in the country's national development plan. How can this be carried out when herbal pesticides are branded hazardous?
Apart from bullying organic farming, this crazy regulation also threatens Thai herbal medicine which is crucial in our country's primary healthcare and medical self-reliance. Those who enjoy Thai food might also think twice when common herbs in Thai kitchens are branded hazardous - subsequently harming the export of Thai food products.
This regulation is far too toxic for the country's health to accept. Getting rid of it is not enough. We must review the closed system of state regulations and make it open to all stakeholders. Otherwise, we will see no end to these crazy rules and regulations that serve only big business.
* Sanitsuda Ekachai is Assistant Editor (Outlook), Bangkok Post.
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