WHO sees chemicals risk for poor country healthcare

GENEVA (Reuters) - Growing use of chemicals in poor countries as they develop their economies is putting increasing strain on their healthcare systems and medical workers, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said on Wednesday.

"The health sector is faced with additional roles and responsibilities due to increased production and use of chemicals in developing countries and those in economic transition," the WHO said in a paper submitted to a conference on chemicals management.

"This includes increased risk assessment needs... and dealing with the impact of chemical incidents on human health," it said.

The second International Conference on Chemicals Management (ICCM2) is being held in the run-up to the WHO's annual World Health Assembly, which gathers health ministers and other sector professionals to discuss global and regional health issues.

The WHO paper said the introduction of new chemicals into a society requires the health sector to expand its traditional roles and responsibilities.

It highlights several incidents such as an outbreak of sodium bromide poisoning in Angola in March 2008 affecting 467 people, the death of 18 Senegalese children in February this year when a district of Dakar was contaminated by lead from recycled batteries, and eight deaths and about 85,000 health-related consultations from the dumping of toxic waste in Ivory Coast in 2006.

"Such events are believed to represent just the tip of the iceberg," the WHO said.

A report in the WHO Bulletin in December 2005 listed 35 "acute chemical incidents of potential international concern" in 26 countries occuring between August 2002 and December 2003.

"The lack of global data on the occurrence of chemical incidents of potential international concern makes planning for major incidents difficult," that report said.