The Use of Pesticides

The Use of Pesticides

1. Personal Consequences

   • Scientists have found that pesticides used on our plants end up in our water systems and the foods we eat, as well as the air we breathe
     • The exposure to pesticides over a long period of time can cause the chemicals to repetitively enter our systems, building up in our systems

2. Scientific Consequences

   • These pesticides can then cause tragic effects to babies while a woman is pregnant. Long term effects also include cancer, damage to the reproductive system, liver, brain, and other parts of the body.
   • childhood exposure to some of the most common pesticides on the market may greatly impact the development of the central nervous system
     • Children have more skin surface for their size than adults, absorb proportionally greater amounts of many substances through their lungs
     • Many of the activities that children engage in while playing on the grass increases their interaction with toxic pesticides

3. Legal and Ethical Consequences

   • The amount of pesticides that are exposed to the people of this region violates their right to health
   • Those who purchase such pesticides for their home uses (i.e. lawn,etc.) should not be able to buy such products and/or be aware of the effects.
   • It is our government's responsibility to ensure that farmers are able to obtain these products from the public
   • The largest problem with pesticides is that they reach non-targeted species
     • 98% of sprayed insecticides reach a destination other than their target species
     • 95% of herbicides effect a non-targeted species

4. Economic Consequences

   • Many illnesses and deaths have occurred due to the exposure of pesticides, by careless handling or by wearing insufficient protective clothing
   • Not many people want to live near farms/places that use an excess amount of pesticides
   • The decrease in bee populations due to pesticides use will negatively impact the agricultural economy by billions of dollars

5. Social Consequences

   • pesticide residues in human foods, both imported and home-produced, are numerous
   • The stakeholders are the farmers/people who are purchasing these pesticides to use on their plants.
   • The scientists and factories that produce the pesticides are being employed, while it is harming their health
   • It is undesirable to the neighbours of those who use pesticides, as it negatively affects the communities health

6. Environmental Consequences

   • When the pesticides are being sprayed, they are blown by the wind and are transferred to different areas
   • pesticides also enter the soil, affecting anything being grown
     • If it is plants/crops being grown, then those who consume the foods will digest the pesticides (humans,animals,etc.)
     • Weakening plant root systems and immune systems
     • Reducing concentrations of essential plant nutrients in the soil such nitrogen and phosphorous
   • the pesticides are rained on, allowing them to travel into our water system.
     • This water is used by humans and animals to drink and to bathe in
   • Chronic health effects may occur years after even minimal exposure to pesticides in the environment,
   • pesticides are a major threat to bees, poisoning of flowers has killed many of them.