Pesticides- are they Harmful?

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Human Effects

Blueberries… Delicious! now the question is, are simple fruits like blueberries, strawberries or even apples good for you? Blueberries have a thin layer of skin on them which allows chemicals to easily contaminate the fruit. But, even though the antioxidants in blueberries are excellent for your family’s health, a single sample tested positive for 13 pesticides! These can cause multiple hazards such as cancer, hormonal issues, neurological disorders and many more hazards. Now imagine your child eating food filled with chemicals. How would you feel? Pesticides have been linked with human health hazards, from short-term impacts such as headaches and nausea to chronic impacts like cancer or reproductive harm. 

Water..
This is one of many ways pesticides can get into water.

The chemicals get transmitted through sewers, house drains and storm drains. the sewers run from drains within the home and carry wastewater from toilets, sinks, and showers to treatment plants.

  • Use alternative pesticides when possible
  • if you must use pesticides, follow all the instructions on the product label for proper use and be sure to store and dispose of all pesticides properly.

The toxic chemicals in these are designed to release into the environment. Though each pesticide is meant to kill a certain pest, a very large percentage of pesticides reach a destination other than their target. Instead, they enter the air, water and even end up in our food. 

Drain sewer
this picture represents how pesticides can be transmitted.

People assume that if water is clear, it is safe to drink. But even though you can’t see micro plastic with the human eye it doesn’t mean that they are not harmful to anyone or anything.  

Short-term effects would be that they catch the problem before anyone gets hurt. Clear out the rivers and water source of chemicals. If it’s contained in a small area and fast it could be dangerous.  

Pests such as insects, diseases, rodents and weeds can be harmful to crops if they are left uncontrolled and/or eliminated. And would otherwise damage them if they were allowed to thrive in agricultural land areas. As a result, pesticides are used to control and/or eliminate pests from agricultural land areas, thereby improving crop productivity and yields.