The amount of pesticides consumed in 1982 was 14, 426M/T which was 2.1 times greater than in 1973.´ The occurrence of health and environmental problems caused by such increment of usage of pesticides was inevitable.
For example, the amount of a-BHC residues in soil was 0.226-0.391ppm and the amount of a-BHC residues in an investigated river was 0.160 -?0.012ppm. Also, some organochlorine= pesticide residues were found in vegetables, meat or marine products in spite of the prohibited production or consumption of organochlorine pesticides since 1972. The pesticide residues were= also detected in human tissue or plasma.
In addition organochlorine pesticide soil residues in some vinyl-roofed cultivating fields were 3 times greater than those in some paddy fields or uplands. This result suggests that since the tendency to use vinyl-roofed fields as a cultivating method has been increasing, the harmful effect of pesticide residues and acute poisoning precipitated during the spraying of the pesticide could thereby increase.
The health problems caused by the usage of pesticides were not only the ones of chronic pesticide accumulation through environmental pollution but of the acute´ pesticide poisoning during spraying of pesticides.
The attack rate of pesticide poisoning in Gyeongbug area for 2 years during 1981 and 1982 was 25.4 per 1, 000, 000 per year according to a health institute record survey result. Furthermore, another report revealed that 19.6%-28.3% of farmers in Gyeongi area suffered from several acute symptoms during pesticide spraying.
Occurrence of problems in handling of pesticides by farmworkers was caused mainly by their low educational background, lack of instruction of pesticide usage by professional authorities and low socio-economic status. For example, safety measures were not ´kept by farm workers when such safety measure had an adverse effect in work efficiency,, productivity, economy and were time-consuming.
In case of pesticide poisonings, most cases did not receive proper treatment. The hospital or clinics were rarely consulted (8.1%) for treatment of pesticide poisoning.
Therefore, in order to formalize a counterplan for problems caused by the usage of pesticides in Korea the integrated cooperative effort by both the governmental and non-governmental experts seems to be necessary.
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