Essay on The Use of Dangerous and Illegal Pesticides in America

First pesticides are very harmful and dangerous to humans in many ways. When people spray pesticides they don’t think or wonder if they are hurting other around them. MRI’s have detected that even low exposure to pesticides causes irreversible brain damage. Also you don’t have to be a farmer to be exposed to pesticides, pesticides are everywhere in the air we breathe, the food we eat, and the water we drink. Certain fungi and mold can be found There are so many bad effects of pesticides. Pesticides can damage the liver, immune function, and

Some research studies show that these chemicals are also the cause of birth defects in children. With the increase in the use of these chemicals, there will be an increase in birth defects. According to research done by the University of California, pregnant mothers who live within a mile away from crops that are sprayed with pesticides are more likely to develop autism in their babies. If the use of pesticides continues to grow, one day the human race with completely diminish.

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,

Agriculture is the most fundamental resource of society. Without it, humans could not live, especially in the ways we do now where people reside in cities. This means that those cities could not exist without large scale agriculture to sustain them. Since agriculture is such a necessity, people have developed methods to gain more from their land. One of the many solutions besides machinery they have developed to produce higher crop yields is through the use of pesticides. However, those pesticides which have resulted in high crop yields have come at price, and that is human health itself. This seems rather contradictory. Pesticides were designed to help people and society by increased the success of producing high crop yields, and they

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

There are many things that enter our waterways that we have to clean out. One of the worst things is pesticides. They not only contaminate our water, but they are harmful to animals. It enters our water sources by seeping through the soil to groundwater or entering streams as surface run-off. Farmers and other workers try to keep our water safe from pesticides, but it is a very hard and stressful job. Let’s take a look at the ways that pesticides enter our water and also some possible solutions for this problem.

As stated from a survey at Harvard University, there are 20,000 people a year are reported to be suspected of pesticide poisoning in the United States. Out of all these people reported, only 10% of them are actually admitted to a hospital. Around the world, there are about 200,000 people who die from pesticide poisoning in a year. Children are more susceptible to pesticide poisonings since they are usually playing in areas closer to the ground and where pesticides are. By playing near these hazardous chemicals, their bodies can be permanently damaged. Some perceptual effects children may get include damage to the brain, reproductive organs, nervous system, lung, and the endocrine and immune systems (Pesticides: What You Need to Know). The risk increases depending on how exposed the children are; children living on farms are more likely to develop these problems (Agricultural Health Study). Even the flea and tick products put on pets have the capability to harm youths the same way regular pesticides used outside do (Pesticides: What You Need to Know). Although children are more likely to be affected by pesticides, it does not mean that adults are free from its dangers. In adults, those who are exposed to pesticides can get various types of cancers and diseases. More exposure to it causes a higher rate of being diagnosed with leukemia, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, multiple myeloma, and soft tissue sarcoma, as well as

As it happens, the United States has a 18-47% import on their fruits and vegetables from primarily Central and South American countries. In these countries such as Costa Rica and Honduras many of the pesticides that are illegal in the United States are used heavily there. Chlorpyrifos is a pesticide used for bananas that are shipped to the United States by the trillions. It has been known to “harm workers, communities and the environment (Environmental Working Group’s).” Many children were subject to mental retardation and decreased brain function because of the banana farms. This is one example of a pesticide that the United States is indirectly using through Costa Rica in order to avoid the environmental costs of chlorpyrifos on the people and the land. But the problem is not with Costa Rica or the other Central American countries, it’s that we are perfectly capable of growing own own food and are running out of “other ponds” to take advantage

Food Quality Protection Act (1996): This act protects infants and children from contaminants in food and water from pesticides.

Pesticides could cause everyday complications such as headaches or nausea. Additionally, pesticides could cause the significantly worse cancer, reproductive harm, or endocrine disruption. According to Toxics Action Center, “There is also mounting evidence that exposure to pesticides disrupts the endocrine system,” they later added, “Endocrine disruption can produce infertility and a variety of birth defects and developmental defects in offspring” (“The Problem”). Endocrine disruption, one of the health concerns that could come from pesticides, should be especially concerning for soon-to-be parents. No parent wants to come to learn their child is hormonally imbalanced, has a behavioral disorder, or is impaired in brain development. While chemical pesticides are affecting their children’s growth, they could also be giving parents trouble of their own. Studies by the National Cancer Institute report, “American farmers, who in most respects are healthier than the population at large, had startling incidences of leukemia, Hodgkins disease, non-Hodgkins lymphoma, and many other forms of cancer.” One would think there should be a ban on cancer-causing matter, yet because of the benefits, people continue using pesticides. Farmers, using the chemicals more than an average person, are often discovered to have cancers linked to their pesticide use. Are the benefits of pesticides really worth harm like this? Sure, it makes

Farmers dust or spray 850 million pounds of pesticides a year on food products that are available to american consumers. Some of the similar pesticides are sold in areas of stores that are near garden produce. These pesticides include fungicides, miticides, insecticides, rodenticides, and herbicides. In a survey done about pesticides in grocery stores, it was to see how close the pesticides were to “fresh produce”. “In approximately half the stores, pesticides were located 50 feet from the fruit and vegetable displays, and in 24 percent of the stores, pesticide displays were within 10 feet of the fruit displays. In 17.3 percent, the displays

Even though many people have a picture of organic food in their mind rules such as these do not follow through with their promises, which as a result leads to people coming face to face with unknown illnesses which can even lead to death. Consequently, for the lack of the enforcement of USDA laws products that are supposedly organic are going out to the public and cause harm to the people who consume it for the reason that the way that the produce was grown or either imported with illnesses.

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”).

(Trewavas, 2001, p.409). This evidence shows that the use of the synthetic pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides, is beneficial from a food safety point of view, as they decrease the possibility of getting ill from the consumption of this food. Therefore, conventionally grown food is safer than organically grown food, which does not use these chemicals.