Safe Disposal of Pesticides Wastes

Safe disposal of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) is based on its detoxification. The method presently being used is incineration, which helps in destroying the compound but is liable to generate decomposition products which are very toxic and harmful to fauna and flora and as well as to environment in general. The OCPs were previously extensively used in the cotton production and other agricultural activities in Pakistan and at least three thousand metric tons of obsolete pesticides have been stored under extreme hazardous conditions in more than thousand sites. Locally banned or severely restricted pesticides are easily available and DDT is continuously illegally imported and use in our country. OCPs are the most dangerous among all the pollutants released into the environment by human activity. The effect of OCPs on health and the environment range from acute toxicity to intergenerational endocrine disrupting effects. The aim of our study was to develop the cost effective and efficient method for the safe disposal of OCPs.