13 treated for overexposure to pesticides in 5 years

Thirteen individuals were treated for overexposure to pesticides in the air over the past five years, official figures show. According to the National Hospitals Information System, they required medical treatment at Mater Dei Hospital between 2013 and 2017 for a variety of symptoms linked to overexposure to pesticides used in farms across the island. The figures, tabled in Parliament by Health Minister Chris Fearne while replying to a written question tabled by Opposition environment spokesman Jason Azzopardi, indicate there were both one-off cases and acute sufferers. Patients who were treated by emergency response teams sent to farms or nearby homes but not taken to hospital were not included in the data provided. Information on the number of cases last year was still being compiled by the authorities, the minister said. Fruit and vegetables sold in Malta are among the worst in the EU in terms of excessive pesticide levels. The European Food Safety Authority reported that more than one in 10 local greens taken to the lab in 2016 were sprayed with chemicals that exceeded the legal limit. The European average was five times lower. Read: Excessive pesticide levels land 15 farmers...