Essay on Pesticides

Since the amendment the technology that is capable of finding such small particles of substance has caused some reconsideration of the “at any level,” concept. The flavor industry requested for a "de minimis," which refers to a level of risk that is too small to raise concern. The Senate has propositioned bills that would improve the meaning of the Delaney Clause but nothing has passed yet (http://cnie.org/NLE/CRSreports/Pesticides/pest-1.cfm).

Topic: This amendment is within the topic of Food and Public Safety. This amendment protects the public from buying genetically modified products without their knowledge. This amendment would give the people the right to know what is in their food and products and will also give people the assurance that their money is going to a company that they want to be supporting.

Needless to say, Monsanto was highly incorrect. A study by doctors at the University of Sherbrook hospital in Quebec found this toxin in the blood of women (pregnant and not) and also in these women’s babies. More specifically, the “toxin was diagnosed in 93% of thirty pregnant women, 80% of umbilical blood in their babies, and 67% of thirty-nine nonpregnant women.” This study was accepted for advertisement in the peer reviewed journal Reproductive Toxicology (Smith, 1). With statistics as high as 93%, the EPA was surely inaccurate. It ponders me how the production is still legal after finding

With the sales of organic foods rapidly increasing in recent years, jumping from $1 billion to $21 billion in just eighteen years, it is important for consumers to be well-informed when choosing either organic or inorganic (Bradbury et al, 2014). These products, with labels boasting claims such as no artificial fertilizers or pesticides and the use of ecologically friendly farming techniques, have become somewhat of a trend since their arrival in the early to mid twentieth century. As the public becomes increasingly cautious of what they eat, concern has been growing regarding the adverse health effects of ingestion of pesticides and artificial fertilizers in food products. It is not surprising, therefore, that perceived health

In 1976, Congress passed the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) in response to a growing national concern about public exposure to toxic chemicals. Since then, it has largely been hailed as a failure for two reasons. First, TSCA has been unable to effectively compel producers to test and disclose adequate information on chemical toxicity. Second, it has been ineffective at designating sufficient resources to the EPA to identify and reduce the possible health and environmental risks associated with new chemicals. Nonetheless, it has been devoid of major revisions since its implementation. In the nearly 40 years of congressional inaction on this issue, many states have intervened by enacting stricter chemical laws that fill in TSCA’s gaps.

Within the last ten years, the lack of awareness and false guidelines about the toxicity of pesticides has contributed to many tragic events. In 1988, Karen James, a Michigan postal worker, was walking past one of ChemLawn’s "fertilizer" trucks when a hose ruptured and she was drenched with chemicals. She was told by the ChemLawn employee not to worry because only fertilizers were in the spray and she would be fine. However, soon after she became seriously ill, with symptoms that include diarrhea, vomiting, and fatigue. When her doctor called ChemLawn to find out what chemicals she was exposed to, he was told that they do not use chemicals. But later tests on Karen revealed high levels of Dursban, a toxic pesticide, which forced ChemLawn to admit that they had been lying (Dieglman, 1996).

The introduction of chemicals in daily life has been met with an abundance of confusion and fear. When introducing the world of chemicals to food, the knee jerk reaction is often to shun the very idea. Of course, this response is to be expected. The word chemical is mentally correlated with unnatural materials formed in a lab or a radiation riddled mess. However, the negative effects of chemicals in food has been exacerbated over the years. Fear has driven public consciousness to ignorance. Corn, for example, is subject to pesticide treatment—one being Glyphosate. Said Glyphosate has been accused of being a carcinogen to humans. While such a fearful correlation may cause concern, there is a question on the sentiments validity. While questioning the effectiveness of chemicals is understandable, the use of chemicals is not only a common tool in the food industry’s arsenal, but a safe practice conducted on the food sold and consumed every day.

It has been a prime location for studies to be conducted by health organizations to see if there are any links to the pesticide usage occurring along with people living in the vicinity of where it is being used. ARTICLE PESTICDES STUDY (Kehoe) The study correlates a link between certain chemicals that are used in the manufacturing of pesticides and these chemical ORGANOCHLORINES to Alzheimer’s disease along with many autism related defects between children. Children are who we try to keep safe as they are the young and will be our future. Pregnant women living in pesticide applied areas were more likely to have a child with birth defects as the chemicals are absorbed through the air and can reach the fetus via the bloodstream. These are also the most susceptible to these chemicals being used by farmers and the by the produce they

The dangers of the food industry need to be revealed to the public so that people can live healthier lifestyles. For this to be done, the food companies need to start labeling what is in their food. There are numerous harmful chemicals and hormones found in the food we consume, and there needs to be more awareness of what society is recklessly ingesting. A two-year study on the effects of genetic mutation on mice was published on September 19th, 2011 in Food and Chemical Toxicology. In the experiment, the mice consumed corn that was sprayed with Roundup, the food company, Monsanto’s brand of weed killer, or drank water with levels of Roundup that are similar to what is found in U.S. tap water. The shocking results revealed that the mice

This article talks about what a pesticide is and how it affects people. This is relevant to my research topic because I will be using pesticides on plants to measure the growth. In order to do this, I will need to know what a pesticide is and what it does. A unique feature of this article is that it includes videos explaining the topic, and links at the bottom of the page to look further into pesticides. A strength is that the article is very specific and on-point. However, it doesn't show much more than just what a pesticide is. There is no bias in this source.

This scholarly text book, part of a series called Current Controversies, is composed of primary sources taken from a diversity of informational categories including books, newspapers, periodicals, international government documents, and the publications of organizations. The authors in this series examine some of the issues that typical arise in the debate about pesticides, including whether they are detrimental to human health, animals and the environment, whether they are essential to curtailing international hunger, and what the future of pesticides might be. This book widely mirrors the mosaic of opinions in both parts of the debate regarding the benefits and harmful effects

Pesticides also have a great affect on the food we consume. Food is one of the great necessities of life. Yet, a growing amount of evidence indicates that the food supply is being contaminated with pesticides (Mott & Snyder vii). These pesticides are most commonly

It is also shown that pesticides are partly responsible for the rising cancer rates and birth defects among children (“Pesticides”).

One concern about pesticides and herbicide usage is the amount of residues left on the end product of crops sprayed with the chemicals, and their effects on human health. (Williamson, 2007, p. 184). However, these effects are closely tested and levels are strictly regulated to ensure there is no danger from possible pesticide residues. Since 1910, many rules, regulations, and agencies have been formed to monitor the safety of the pesticides and herbicides used in conventional farming. These chemicals must meet specific safety standards in order to be registered for use, and regulations on levels of each product safe for use are also put in place. (Tafel et al.,2007, p.184). All pesticides are rigorously examined to ensure they have no significant effects on human health, or the environment. The residues in the food chain are closely monitored, and regularly tested, to ensure they are below legal limits. In a recent survey of residues

In today’s society chemicals, whether you like it or not are a fact of life. Many people are afraid of chemicals and their effects on them and the environment. This is understandable because the truth of the matter is that chemicals can do some horrible things to humans, animals and the whole ecosystem. Some would say that chemicals should be done away with for these reasons. But this certainly is not true and most likely impossible. Chemicals can also have some very positive effects on our lives. Some uneducated people would argue that there should not be restrictions on chemicals. This is just as crazy as saying that chemicals should be done away with. If chemicals are regulated and people abide