agronomia

Agronomfa Costarricense 13(2): 237-246.1989.

Analisis y Comentario

CONTAMINACION DE LOS ALIMENTOS EN CENTROAMERICA
CON RESIDUOS DE PLAGUICIDAS: SITUACION Y PROPUESTA
DE ACCIONES VIABLES DESOLUCION AL PROBLEMAl
JaimeE. Garcia-Gonzalez
*

ABSTRACT
Food contamination with pesticide residuesin Central America: pre.
sent situation and viable alternatives for solution to the problem. Theuseof
pesticidesin agricultural production inevitably involves undesirable
parallel effects, such as the presence foodstuffs of thoseproducts,their metabolites,or
in
both. The "easy"and"cheap"solution of applying syntheticpesticidesis not really so, if rationally considered. It is only one alternativeamongothers,not the
only one; this is often omitted or ignoredin our midst, for a diversityof reasons.
This paper cites results of investigationsthat show,at leastpartially, the magnitude of theseproblems in the Central American region. Somealternativesand
concreteactions are thenproposed,which if enforced would help reduce and
control to varying extent the degreeof contamination. Among other things, the
needthat sectorsimplicated in a major way becomeconsciousof the problem isstressed.Likewise, the paperdealswith the importanceand necessityof providing strongersupportfor researchaimed at looking for and applying viable alternativesthat would tend to restrain,partly atleast,from the useof pesticides.

INTRODUCCION
Si se utilizan racionalmentelos plaguicidas
en la agriculturamoderna,su beneficio es bien conocido; sin embargo, su uso indiscriminado e
irresponsableconstituye una forma de facilitar la
contaminaci6nde los alimentosy del ambienteen
general. Por causade esta mala utilizaci6n, entre

otras cosas,permanecen los alimentosaltas
en

eltratamientoal que son sometidoslos alimentos
antesde ser consumidos.
La situaci6n en Centroamerica
Varios estudiosrealizadossobreresiduosde
plaguicidasen los alimentosreflejan que en la regi6n se hace en...