The PAN International List of Highly Hazardous Pesticides (HHPs) was initially developed by PAN Germany in 2009, in response to a need identified through participation in the FAO/WHO Joint Meeting on Pesticide Management. PAN Germany continues to maintain the List, publishing regular updates in consultation with PAN International experts. The most recent HHPs List includes 310 pesticides that are currently in use.
Listing criteria include acute toxicity, long term health effects, environmental hazards and status under global pesticide-related conventions.
According to the global network, the List is intended as a tool for all stakeholder groups to guide decisions on pesticide policies, such as developing prohibited or restricted lists in private standards or prioritizing actions for reducing pesticide hazards and risks in any country. The List provides a basis for action to implement progressive bans of HHPs and:
..replace them with safer, agroecological and other appropriate non-chemical alternatives. PAN would like to encourage individuals, institutions, organizations and companies to develop a plan of action with priorities, timeframes and concrete measures. PAN itself will support such initiatives wherever possible.
Data sources
The PAN HHP List is based only on classifications by recognized authorities, including the World Health Organization (WHO), U.S. EPA, the EU Commission, the UN Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS) and the Pesticide Property Database maintained by the University of Hertfordshire. The HHP List is updated annually by PAN International experts, and hazard criteria are updated periodically, most recently in 2019.
Long term health effects evaluated include endocrine disruption, carcinogenicity and reproductive/developmental toxicity. Environmental criteria include toxicity to bees and aquatic organisms, persistence in the environment and ability to bioaccumulate.
The PAN HHP List contains pesticides used in agriculture, forestry, fisheries, vector control, homes, other buildings, and transport; those used for control of ectoparasites (e.g. ticks on livestock); rodenticides and other vertebrate poisons; wood preservatives; plant growth regulators; fumigants; and those incorporated into materials and other products.
The List also contains some specific pesticide formulations, which have been recognized by relevant international conventions. It does not include chemicals added to enhance function or storage of formulated pesticide products (e.g. synergists, safeners, adjuvants), nor all the break-down products (metabolites) of pesticide active ingredients.
Limitations
PAN Germany identifies a number of limitations to the HHPs List that are to be addressed in future updates, including:
- Measures to identify substances of high environmental concern are currently restricted to selected criteria which do not reflect the overall environmental concerns.
- On-the-ground evidence shows that pesticides classified as “moderately hazardous” by the World Health Organization (WHO Class II) often give valid reason for concern. Examples are endosulfan and paraquat, pesticides that have caused thousands of poisonings, or pyrethroids which are known to cause serious health effects.
- Pesticides classified as obsolete pesticides by FAO and WHO are not included in the list, although limited uses of these chemicals still happens illegally and can cause health and environmental harms, especially if obsolete stockpiles remain.
More details on data limitations, as well as a full history of development and a spreadsheet of current pesticides listed with primary criteria identified, is included in the current HHP List published by PAN International (see below).
Resources:
PAN International List of Highly Hazardous Pesticides (2019)
FAO Highly Hazardous Pesticides resource page
FAO/WHO Guidelines for Highly Hazardous Pesticides