Human Rights Impacts of Hazardous Pesticides

This briefing by the Center for International Environmental Law outlines the human rights implications of hazardous pesticide manufacture, sale, and use, emphasizing the obligations of States to protect rights and businesses to conduct due diligence to prevent harm.

• The economic burden of hazardous pesticides in sub-Saharan Africa is severe, with the UN reporting that total health care costs and other economic losses in the region exceed the amount of Official Development Assistance (ODA) received.
• Hazardous pesticides impact several fundamental human rights, including the right to life (ICCPR Article 6), the right to the highest attainable standard of health (CESR Article 12), and the right to food (UDHR Article 25 and CESCR Article 11).
• Workers have specific rights regarding chemical exposure, including the right to information on chemical identity and hazards, and the right to remove themselves from danger if they believe there is an imminent and serious risk to their health or safety under ILO Convention 170.
• Children are identified as being often the most at risk. Their protections include the right to the highest attainable standard of health considering environmental pollution risks (CRC Article 24) and protections against the worst forms of child labor, which includes work likely to harm their health, safety, or morals (ILO Convention on the Worst Forms of Child Labor Article 3(d)).
• To prevent human rights abuses, States must implement policies, legislation, and adjudication to prevent, investigate, punish, and redress abuse by businesses. Businesses are expected to implement policies for human rights due diligence to address adverse impacts.

APA

Center for International Environmental Law (n.d.). Human Rights Impacts of Hazardous Pesticides. https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/HR_Pesticides.pdf

Chicago

Center for International Environmental Law. Human Rights Impacts of Hazardous Pesticides. n.d. https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/HR_Pesticides.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Center for International Environmental Law |title=Human Rights Impacts of Hazardous Pesticides |url=https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/HR_Pesticides.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{centerforinternationalenvironmentallawndhuman, author = {{Center for International Environmental Law}}, title = {{Human Rights Impacts of Hazardous Pesticides}}, institution = {Center for International Environmental Law}, url = {https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/HR_Pesticides.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }