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Preventing pesticide poisoning

Banning pesticides in Sri Lanka led to a massive drop in suicides. Should other countries copy this example?

Thanks to a ban on several hazardous pesticides Sri Lanka has seen a massive reduction in deaths from pesticide poisoning, and the World Health Organisation is recommending other countries should follow this example.

As Health Correspondent Matthew Hill discovers, hospitals which used to deal with many pesticide related deaths are now seeing fewer cases, and more survivors. However, a lack of mental health services means, for many in rural communities, taking pesticides is still a way of drawing attention to a variety of personal issues - sometimes with tragic consequences.

Image: Rural pesticide shop, Sri Lanka (Credit: Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ)

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27 minutes

Last on

Sun 29 Sep 2019 23:32GMT

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  • Mon 23 Sep 2019 19:32GMT
  • Tue 24 Sep 2019 04:32GMT
  • Tue 24 Sep 2019 05:32GMT
  • Tue 24 Sep 2019 06:32GMT
  • Tue 24 Sep 2019 10:32GMT
  • Tue 24 Sep 2019 13:32GMT
  • Tue 24 Sep 2019 17:32GMT
  • Sun 29 Sep 2019 23:32GMT

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