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Agriculture in Latin America and the Caribbean: Context, Evolution and Current Situation | 63

Table 1-12. Estimated environmental and health costs associated to the use of pesticides in LAC.

Effects on human health due to pesticides Total costs (US$)
Costs for poisoning with hospitalization: 60,000 x 3 days x US$2,000/day 360,000,000

Costs of treatments of patients without hospitalization (include hospital. compensations and transportation): 3,000,000 x US$1,000

 3,000,000,000
Labor lost due to poisoning: 60,000 workers x 5 days x US$80/day 24,000,000

Cancers due to pesticides: Total population 400 millions x 0.02% x US$100,000/case

 8,000,000,000

Costs due to fatalities: 30,000 x US$3.7 millions (Value of a human life according to EPA)

 111,000,000,000
Sub-Total 122,384,000,000
Other losses* 8,505,000,000
Total approximated environmental and health costs 130,889,000,000

*There is no data for LAC therefore the figure is that estimated from US data. These figures may underestimate the true value

given the greater biodiversity in LAC.

Source: Adapted from Pimentel, 2004; Nivia, 2005.

 

 

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