Assessing potential risks regarding pesticides used in cotton production in Mali

In Mali, pesticides used on cotton crops are a real public health and environmental problem. This study presents an analysis of potential risks corresponding to the "dangerousness"of active ingredient present in these pesticides for cotton. We identified 174 pesticides registered by the Sahel Pesticides Committee (CILSS-CSP) for cotton, including 106 insecticides and fungicides and 68 herbicides. They are formulated from 50 active ingredients; 10 are banned in Europe and are found in 35 registered products (20% of available products). For each active ingredient present in these pesticides, a Health Risk Index was calculated for the health of users. This indicator takes into account the acute and chronic toxicities of the different active ingredient. The results of our work show that, for herbicides, pendimethalin has the highest Health Risk Index; for insecticides, it is bifenthrin. We have also identified an indicator of soil, surface water and groundwater contamination by these active ingredients. The results show that an active ingredient could have a significant risk for health and have a high level of toxicity to the environment or have a low impact on health but have a high risk for the environment. Rising awareness among stakeholders about the risks of pesticides would reduce their impact on human health and environment.