PESTICIDES: THE DEADLY SUBSTANCE
By Sanjeev Hassani
Pesticides are harming our health and environment more than ever before, but recent newly discovered research has shown just how destructive pesticides are.
Substances used to destroy organisms harmful to our plants or animals, commonly referred to as pesticides, are causing harmful effects on humans. In fact, according to the National Center for Biotechnology Infromation, over 5.6 billion pounds of pesticides are used annually, killing millions of organisms and ecosystems around the world. An estimated 25 million agricultural workers contract pesticide poisoning every year. Farmers from across the globe are using these products to increase their profits, despite knowing the consequences and exposing themselves and others to deadly toxic substances.
This photograph, taken by Zeynel Cebeci, shows a farmer releasing pesticides onto his crops. This exposes him and others to serious diseases.
Pesticides are the only toxic substance intentionally released into the environment by humans. There are many different pesticides such as herbicides, which are used to kill weeds, insecticides, which are used to kill harmful insects, and fungicides, which are used to kill destructive fungi.
Numerous scientific studies have proven that exposure to pesticides can lead to the development of different cancers in humans. In fact, the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry recently published a thorough study showing that children living homes where their parents are using pesticides are twice as likely to a develop brain tumor versus children living in a home where no pesticides are used. The World Health Organization also backs up this study showing an estimated 220,000 people die around the world each year from pesticide poisoning.
220,000 people die each year from pesticide poisoning.
Many pesticides, people will argue, are essential to farmers because they kill organisms that are a threat to their crop. Using pesticides undoubtedly has its fair share of benefits, including a larger crop yield, more profit for farmers, and larger-sized produce. But at the expense of human and environmental health, the use of the toxic pesticides are to be questioned.
Though this caution sign tells its viewers there is pesticide spraying in progress, most people do not realize the harm pesticides cause. Photo courtesy of Flickr.
Many insecticides and fungicides become useless after a period of time due to the ever-evolving insects and fungi. The organisms that are not destroyed by the pesticides produce offspring who are genetically protected against the harmful pesticide. In effect, farmers must purchase another pesticide to exterminate the organisms, and the cycle continues over and over again.
While the detrimental effects of pesticides have been well known and heavily documented for years, these toxic substances have made their way into our water and atmosphere through runoff and evaporation. When pesticides are sprayed onto plants, only about 10 percent of the substance actually reaches its desired destination. The other 90 percent runs off into nearby water sources or evaporates into our atmosphere, sometimes leading to acid rain. In addition to the pollution pesticides cause, they also drain many essential nutrients from the soil, making the land unsuitable for crop growth.
90 percent of pesticides don't reach their crop, leading to runoff. Photo by F Lamiot.
The photo above captures the devastating effect of pesticide runoff. The runoff has ruined this ecosystem's animal and plant life.
Photo taken by F Lamiot.
As a 50 billion dollar market, pesticides are one of the largest markets in the global economy. In addition to its market size, pesticides are affecting the amount and size of the food we are producing.
A list of the foods containing the most pesticides was recently released by CNN.com. While apples have been topping the list for the past five years, strawberries have taken the number one spot in the most recent list. Even though 75% of American produce contain a form of pesticides, strawberries are nearing FDA and USDA illegal levels.
This pie chart shows the pesticide residue in organic produce. 65% of the produce tested had no trace of pesticides.
Data obtained from CNN.com.
The raised awareness of the effects of pesticides has created a fast-growing market for organic produce, which contain no pesticides. Though organic farms only make up about one percent of the world’s farms, the number of organic farmers has increased over 300 percent since 2002.
This growth in organic farming has dramatically increased the availability of healthier, cleaner produce around the world. Consumer demand in organic foods has consequently reduced pesticide trace in the world’s water sources and atmosphere.
Even though efforts to find alternative ways to sustain crop yield have resulted in pesticide use diminishing, it is still the most popular substance used by farmers across the globe. With the world population soaring in recent years, sustainable food growth is going to continue to be a problem. Renowned anti-pesticide organizations such as the World Health Organization and the Toxics Actions Center have been at the forefront of reducing or even banning pesticides completely. While the complete banning of the substance is unlikely to occur in the near future due to its common world-wide use, we can only hope that people around the world realize the deadly effects of pesticides.
Above is a photograph showing a farmer spraying his crops with pesticides. Photo courtesy of Flickr.
The Charger, February 2017
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