A mini-review of potential toxicity, efficacy and residues management of actellic-based grain preservatives

Actellic Gold and Actellic Super Dusts are the most commonly used pesticide products for grain storage in East Africa. Although no efficacy data is available comparing these two products directly, Actellic Gold and Actellic Super Dusts seems to be similar and within acceptable efficacy ranges. Both the products can give mortality rates above 75% of the targeted pests for at least 4 months of storage. The storage period could be longer under improved storage structures like PICS and metallic silos. However, the widespread use of these two pesticides is causing development of resistance in the region. This would threaten the sustainability and economics of crop production as pests will no longer be controlled. To manage this resistance, researchers should explore alternative pesticides with better efficacy, and safety for rotation. These alternative products should be available at affordable cost to all farmers. Like other pesticides, use of Actellic Gold and Actellic Super Dusts could have health and environmental concerns whenever used improperly. From the research, the active ingredients have relatively low acute oral LD50 values (938–2,690 mg/kg). Although research has proved that at least 80% of these compounds could be excreted from the body in the short term, the long-term bioaccumulation effects are yet to be well understood. To help minimize potential health risks, farmers should always follow the instructions provided on the product labels like wearing goggles, mask, apron, and rubber boots when making the application. Also, home-based processing methods such as sun and air drying of the grains for at least 3 hours, washing, soaking, and boiling could help reduce the concentration of these compounds in the grains and their products.