Yemen Observer: http://www.yobserver.com
Posted in:
Environment
Written By: Ameen Abduljalil
Article Date: Jun 17, 2006 - 7:42:37 PM
SANA’A- The Ministry of Agriculture has destroyed as many as 262 tons of pesticides, a pileup of substances smuggled over the last 10 years into Yemen. According to Secretary General of Yemen’s Cancer Fighting Society, Abdul-Rahman Thabet a study carried out by the society found that pesticides misuse accounts for an average of 20,000 new cancer cases every new year in Yemen.
More specifically, the wrong use of pesticides in farms of fruit and qat is to blame for the largest proportion. “Men and women including the children are unfortunately getting cancer every year as the consumption of qat poisoned by such pesticides,” he says.