Chemical Safety and Health
Through the Chemical Safety and Health Unit, WHO works to establish the scientific basis for the sound management of chemicals, and to strengthen national capabilities and capacities for chemical safety.
Highly hazardous pesticides
1 May 2020
The WHO Recommended Classification of Pesticides by Hazard and guidelines to classification,...
This document sets out a classification system to distinguish between the more and the less hazardous forms of selected pesticides based on acute risk...
Short information document for decision makers
Preventing disease through healthy environments
IOMC toolbox for decision-making in chemicals management
The IOMC Toolbox is an internet-based tool that enables countries to identify the most relevant and efficient tools to address specific national problems in chemicals management.
→ IOMC toolbox
FAO Pesticides Registration Toolkit
This Toolkit is a decision support system for pesticide registrars in developing countries. It will assist registrars in the evaluation and authorization of pesticides. It is a web-based registration handbook intended for day-to-day use by pesticide registrars.
→ FAO Toolkit
Fact Sheet
Tools for action
31 October 2020
Detoxifying agriculture and health from highly hazardous pesticides -- A call for action
While all pesticides can be dangerous when used inappropriately, highly hazardous pesticides are of particular concern due to the severe adverse effects...
5 October 2020
International Code of Conduct on Pesticide Management. Guidance for inspection of pesticide producers,...
The guidance is intended to be a practical, hands-on tool to assist government inspectors in preparing, conducting, recording, reporting and following-up...
Self-poisoning with pesticides causes up to one in five of the world’s suicides. Pesticide registrars and regulators have a key role to play in suicide...
8 June 2016
Guidelines on highly hazardous pesticides. International code of conduct on pesticide management
These guidelines are intended to help national or regional pesticide regulators with limited resources to design a process to address HHPs that follows...
8 February 2016
Safer access to pesticides for suicide prevention
Self-poisoning by pesticide is a widely used method of suicide and one of the most common methods of suicide globally, particularly in low- and middle-income...
12 October 2012
Guidelines for procuring public health pesticides
Pesticide procurement is a highly specialized and complex subject. Expertise is required to ensure that appropriate high-quality pesticide products...
14 March 2011
Guidelines for quality control of pesticides. International code of conduct on the distribution and use...
These guidelines cover the legislative, administrative, organizational and infrastructure (facilities and trained human resources) requirements...
14 April 2010
Guidelines for the Registration of Pesticides. International Code of Conduct on the Distribution and...
The purpose of this document is to provide general advice on principles and process as well as requirements for registration of pesticides,...
1 March 2010
Guidelines on pesticide advertising. International code of conduct on the distribution and use of pesticides
Advertising is the promotion of the sale and use of pesticides by printed and electronic media, signs, displays, gift, demonstration...
6 April 2006
WHO-UNEP Sound management of pesticides and diagnosis and treatment of pesticides poisoning -- A resource...
This resource tool is intended to assist national programmes and those involved on management of pesticides, and with diagnosis and treatment of pesticide...
The aim of this document is to provide a general guidance for the establishment or strengthening of national pesticide quality control activities,...
Guidelines for personal protection when working with pesticides in tropical climates
Norms and guidance values
Most recent WHO evaluation and risk assessment documents
WHO Core Assessment Group on Pesticide Residues Guidance
Educational material
9 June 2004
Decision-making for the judicious use of insecticides -- Participant's and Facilitator's guide (Trial...
The goal of this course is to enable participants to make evidence-based decisions on the safe and judicious use of insecticides in public...
The application of pesticides on crops is necessary to prevent unacceptable losses of the agricultural production. However, their use may pose health risks...
Other relevant documents
This document provides the specifications for major pesticide application equipment used for control of vectors of diseases. The specification guidelines...
16 December 2018
Generic risk assessment model for insecticides used for larviciding and mollusciciding — Second Edition
The purpose of this document is to provide a generic model that can be used for risk assessment of larviciding and mollusciciding; it aims to harmonize...
10 July 2016
Manual on development and use of FAO and WHO specifications for pesticides. First edition - third revision
In 2001, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) agreed to develop specifications...
12 October 2013
Specifications for pesticides: a training manual
The purpose of this course is to provide an introduction to the principles and practice of defining acceptable quality and equivalence of pesticides, to...
6 September 2010
WHO pesticide evaluation scheme: 50 years of global leadership
Renewed interest by the international community and Member States in control of malaria vectors and the emergence of vector-borne diseases as a consequence...
7 April 2007
Manual for indoor residual spraying application of residual sprays for vector control, third edition
Indoor residual spraying is used especially for control of malaria and Chagas disease vectors. However, where indoor residual...
11 May 2006
Pesticides and their application : for the control of vectors and pests of public health importance,...
Vector control is an important component of many vector-borne disease control programmes. Its implementation includes targeted, site-specific...
A meeting of the Global Collaboration for Development of Pesticides for Public Health (GCDPP) on the development of guidelines for...
10 February 2003
Space spray application of insecticides for vector and public health pest control : a practitioner's...
This guide provides information on how to control flying insect pests and vectors of diseases by applying insecticides as space treatments. Space treatments...
1 February 2002
Reducing and eliminating the use of persistent organic pesticides: guidance on alternative strategies...
Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) are chemicals that persist in the environment, accumulate in high concentrations in fatty tissues and are bio-magnified...
