WHO Sees Chemicals Risk For Poor Country Healthcare.

"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 Organization (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 the second International Conference on Chemicals Management (ICCM2)....

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...." [Reuters/Factiva]