A study cited by CropLife Philippines shows that toxicity levels for nicotine and caffeine are much higher than that of mancozeb, the compound used in dithane, the fungicide used for aerial spraying in banana plantations.

The same holds true for chlorothalonil, another fungicide used to control deleterious invasive pests that threaten bananas and a variety of other high-value commercial crops.

Based on the study on acute oral LD50 to rats, it appears that smoking cigarettes and drinking tea and coffee pose more risks than being exposed to highly-diluted fungicides that have been banned by an ordinance in Davao City.

The level of toxicity is measured using LD50, with the lower LD50 indicating higher toxicity.

Based on the findings, nicotine has an LD50 of 50, caffeine has 200, aspirin has 1,750, paracetamol is at 1,205 and table salt at 3,000.

On the other hand, the acute oral LD50 for propineb fungicide (Antracol) is less than 5,000, less than 5,000 for mancozeb (Dithane), less than 4,500 for bitertanol fungicide (Baycor), 1,407 for thiram fungicide, less than 400 to less than 2,000 for tridermorph fungicide (Calixin), 4,865 for tebuconazole fungicide (Folicur), less than 2,000 for propiconazole, less than 2,000 for difeconazole and less than 5,000 for chlorothalonil.

As far as acure dermal LD50 is concerned, the levels range from less than 5,000 for Antracol, Dithane and Baycor.

It is less than 4,000 for thiram, tridemorph, tebuconazole and difeconazole.

It is 2,000 for chlorothalonil.

These findings indicated that taken on a ratio of milligrams for a kilo of body mass, fungicides pose less risks when ingested or when applied to the skin.

CropLife said the use of aerial spraying “is the most effective method of application of fungicides and the speediest against the airborne black sigatoka virus.

The group said aerial spraying has been approved by the Fertilizer and Pesticide Authority (FPA), which found nothing deleterious in that type of application on hundreds of hectares of banana plantations. Unlike in the United States, only fungicides against black sigatoka are sprayed aerially in the Philippines.