Correspondence: Qat Consumption among Women Living in Yemen

Qat (also known as Khat, Kat), is a green-leaved plant (Catha edulis) that is chewed for its stimulant effect in Yemen and some other countries in the Arabian Peninsula and the Horn of Africa. There is concern that people who consume Qat are at high risk of pesticide exposure. It has been estimated that 70% of pesticides that are imported or smuggled to Yemen are used on Qat. Studies conducted in Yemen indicated that some globally and nationally banned pesticides such as DDT, lindane, parathion, and dimethoate were still used on Qat as late as 2007. However, it has recently been reported that some banned and restricted pesticides are smuggled into Yemen and are available in pesticide retail shops from where they are still bought and used by Yemeni Qat farmers (AR Thabit, personal communication, 2010). As Qat is a crop of high economic value; farmers tend to use pesticides and fertilizers heavily on Qat trees to protect them from pests, to ensure healthy plant growth and thus, to increase the yield and income. Therefore, Qat maybe a potential source of pesticide exposure for consumers.