Pesticides: What Will We Do Without Them?

Traditional markets are replaced by the supermarket. “Market products are invariably indigenous and grown locally” (344) they remind us the kind of agriculture practiced in the area. Blemishes and the odd shapes of fruit and vegetables remind us they are still grown by traditional method. Foods are grown naturally without any pesticides, herbicides and antibiotics which are healthy for our lives. Technology has enormous benefits we can produce any kind of products even it’s not the season. The use of pesticides supplies higher crop yields, reduces the cost and labor of farming, and produces relatively unblemished, visually appealing produce. However, some scientists think that pesticide residues in conventional foods could, over many years,

In the early 1940’s, a new technology emerged that was able to successfully combat crop-damaging and disease-carrying insects. A new age of synthetic chemical pesticides use arose. After their impressive success in fighting deadly insect-borne diseases during World War II, pesticides were used widely to combat insect pests for agriculture and public health. Few people challenged the benefits of the new scientific and technological products and many embraced pesticide use with enthusiasm. Despite its success, doubts about pesticide use began to appear a decade later in the 1950’s, when the government began a vigorous pesticide campaign across the country against insect pests. Scientists began reporting heavy losses of avian and

The Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906 was passed by Congress – along with the Meat Inspection Act – on June 30, 1906, then took effect on January 7, 1907 (Lerner 670). This act prevented manufacturers from selling mislabeled products, contaminated food with unsafe ingredients, and fixes dirty conditions in the food industry that was brought to the attention by journalists and authors (Lerner 670; “Pure Food” 1081). This regulation strongly enforces how food and drug products “were packaged, labeled, sold…in the United States” (“Pure Food”

The banning of insecticide, a major pollutant and neurotoxin, has been up for debate for a significant period of time. However,

CropLife America, a chemical association, argue, “chemicals like chlorpyrifos aren’t really so harmful” (Lappe). In addition, if there wasn’t any pesticides then how would there be control unwanted insects that spread other diseases. Pruitt, the Environmental Protection Agency

Procedural History: Under the authority of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); Federal Insecticides, Fungicides, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), manufacturers were required to register their pesticides. EPA had a “me-too” process that allowed for the pesticide equivalent of generic drugs. Monsanto Corporation sued because EPA was making them publicize trade secrets, which they claimed was a taking. Congress reiterated in Section 3(c)(1)(D)(ii) of FIFRA that EPA should make administrative decisions about how much money these manufacturers would get for damages from loss of their trade secrets. Union Carbide sued because they felt that the decisions should be made by the judicial court, not an administrative agency. The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York held that the claims challenging the arbitration provisions were ripe for decision and that those provisions violated Article III. Standing was approved for all appellants, who took a direct appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.

To begin, Pesticides are used to kill insects and unwanted bacteria that destroy the growth of crops. Everyone becomes directly or indirectly affected by these chemicals. Unfortunately, society came up

The use of pesticides in the United States began after WWII. During this time there was no regulation on the use of pesticides such as DDT and other chemical compounds known as chlorinated hydrocarbons crystallized in 1962. Pesticides usage is at an astronomical 850 million pounds a year. Pesticides are also sold for home use as well, this poses a main health concern to the general public who are unaware of the potential hazards of selling pesticides.

matter of concern recently because of the research results and evaluations of what the pesticide

There are 2.5 billion pounds of pesticides being applied to agricultural products each year in the United States. With today, the use of pesticides has increased dramatically because of the growing population and the higher demands of products.The high increase in population means more food ,which means more pesticide use on crops grew.

Pests are nuisances, vectors for disease, and hinder the production of food and other goods. Pests contribute to roughly 14% of the destruction of the world’s annual agricultural output. Additionally, they are vectors that allow for the transmission of many pathogens (Windley, 2012). The exact date that pesticides were implemented into the practice of agriculture is unknown; however, it is estimated that it likely has been around since the inception of early farming techniques. For instance, sulfur was recorded to have been used as a chemical control for mites and insects as early as 12000BC (Jones 1973). One common insecticide used in the Middle Ages in Persia and ancient China consisted of an ingredient from the Dalmatian pyrethrum flowers. Containing 1.5% of pyrethrin, the Dalmatian pyrethrum was the origin of an active insecticidal substance (Davies et al, 2007). Paris green (copper(II) acetate triarsenite or copper(II) acetoarsenite) was a key component in the chemical control of the Colorado potato beetle during its application in 1871 (Alyokhin 2009). The historical evidence of regular utilization of these insect deterrents indicates an awareness by early agriculturists of the interactions between pest and the unique properties of chemicals that destroy them. Furthermore, it is becoming more of a necessity to support the sustainability of the needs of an ever-growing population of humans. However, the world may be “cutting off the nose to spite the face”

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

The Dow Chemical Company specializes in agricultural chemicals such as pesticides. I used the pesticides listed on their website to cross reference what pesticides are being used in Salinas and in the town of Monte Maiz in Argentina. Monte Maiz is a town that has been plagued with cancer and neurological damages to pregnant mothers fetuses because of the high concentration and persistence of pesticides in the community. Through cross-referencing chemicals I found that the insecticide Lorsban 48 E, also known as chlorpyrifos, is used on the soybean crops in Argentina (DOW AgroSciences, np). Here in the Salinas Valley the same chemical, chlorpyrifos, is being used on apple orchards primarily in Watsonville, a city here in the county. The consequences and effects of chlorpyrifos being used in Monte Maiz illustrate the potential ramifications of the use of this harmful chemical. Due to a director at the local hospital in Monte Maiz noticing increases in patients with cancer, an organization, the Network for the Protection of Health and Environment, conducted research on the town. The team concluded, “ One of the most significant findings obtained from the survey was that while the expectation of new cancer cases in Monte Maiz was 11 per year, in 2014 the town had 35 cases - three times as many. The town also had five times the national average of spontaneous abortions - and 50% of children between six and seven years had respiratory

Earlier this year, the information about the chemical, chlorpyrifos, and its impact on children and agricultural workers caused U.S. Senators from a variety of states across the nation to introduce a bill to Congress, “The Protect Children, Farmers and Farmworkers from Nerve Agent Pesticides Act, and it would amend the U.S. Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act to ban

This agricultural study will examine the problem of the contamination of food products through pesticide usage in the United States. The United States is s global leader in the use of pesticides for large-scale industrial production of food products, which define the threat to the environment and the health of human beings. The necessity of producing more food for increasing human populations poses a threat in the use of pesticides to increase crop yields. However, pesticides cause inadvertent effects on human health through the toxicity of these chemicals in food products. This effect is counterintuitive to the well-being and nutritional standards of a health growing population in this type of industrial food production. In essence, an analysis of the contamination of industrial food products will be defined through pesticide usage in the United States.