Part of the solution – an engaged scholarship approach for the sustainable reduction of street pesticides and poisonings

ABSTRACTIn low-income townships, pests are rife, a nuisance and are vectors of disease. Although alternatives are available, chemical means of pest control is often the first resort due to lack of knowledge of other methods, convenience and presumed efficacy. The demand for chemical pest control has created a unique business opportunity for informal vendors in South Africa servicing predominately low socio-economic communities. That is the selling of ‘street pesticides’, which are either containing agricultural pesticides too toxic for domestic use or illegally imported products. Poisonings from street pesticide exposures, particularly in children, are increasingly common and, along with pest-related diseases, creates a double burden of disease. Solutions are needed to decrease these incidences and to develop pest control strategies that are low- or non-toxic. It is imperative that, for sustainable problem-solving, all stakeholders, including vendors, be part of the solution in tackling this public health...