7 Ways Pesticides Impact Your Health & What To Do About It

The industrial agricultural system relies heavily on pesticides, which are chemicals used to control weeds, kill insects and stave off fungi. In the US, more than 1.1 billion pounds of pesticides are applied to crops annually. Most of these crops have been genetically engineered to withstand the pesticides. The increasing use of pesticides in recent decades has presented a public health hazard, an environmental disaster, and has even caused the evolution of “superweeds.” These superweeds require increasingly toxic pesticide formulas to kill them. Purchasing organic or lowspray produce and joining organizations fighting against the pesticide industry can help reduce the demand for products grown with pesticides.

What Are Pesticides?

Industrial agriculture relies on two types of chemicals to promote growth and kill pests: fertilizers and pesticides. Herbicides control weeds, insecticides control insect and animal infestation, and fungicides control fungal and mold diseases.

The formulation of a pesticide depends on what the pesticide is being used for. Fumigants are gases that are applied to the soil, and “systemic” pesticides are absorbed by the leaves and spread throughout the plant. Some pesticides and formulations are more harmful to non-target species than others, and some application methods have a high potential for drift off target. Pesticides can harm more than just the intended target, they can also harm the wider ecosystem. This presents a real risk for biodiversity and environmental health.

A Brief History of Pesticide Use

Pesticides are not a modern invention. Ancient Sumerians used elemental sulfur to protect crops from insects, and medieval farmers and scientists experimented with chemicals like arsenic to see if they would be effective in protecting crops from insects. The focus of nineteenth-century research was on compounds made from plants, such as chrysanthemum. DDT was discovered to be a very effective insecticide against both agriculture pests and disease-carrying insects in 1939. It became the most widely used insecticide in the world very quickly. This text is discussing the ban on DDT that happened after it was revealed that DDT was devastating to the environment. This ban happened because many people were concerned about the impact that DDT would have on human and animal health. The book also motivated the environmental movement and the creation of the EPA, which is still responsible for monitoring pesticide use.

Agriculture has become increasingly reliant on pesticides as it has grown and industrialized. This is especially true for large-scale practices such as monocropping, where the same crop is grown in great quantities on the same land season after season. Pesticides are generally recognized as being harmful to human and environmental health, but our industrial agricultural system still relies on them.

Why Use Pesticides?

Pesticides save farmers time and energy and usually result in a higher yield. This can be the difference between a successful and unsuccessful crop. Some farmers use pesticides sparingly, especially those who grow produce at a smaller scale. For example, fruit trees in northeastern regions are especially susceptible to disease during the blossom stage. A fruit grower may use a fungicide on their apple or peach trees once in the spring to help the fruit set, but they won’t use any more chemicals for the rest of the season.

For many large row crop farmers, regular pesticide use is an essential part of farming, just like planting seeds. The corn in the field is genetically engineered to be resistant to roundup, so spraying the chemical on the weeds will kill the weeds without harming the corn. When you compare using pesticides to mechanically weeding hundreds or thousands of acres, it is a game-changer. At the end of the season, some farmers spray their wheat with a weed-killer to make it dry faster and prevent it from getting ruined by wet weather later on. Large-scale farmers will often spray their fruit and vegetable fields with pesticides to protect delicate crops from disease.

The heavy use of pesticides is difficult to stop. The overuse of pesticides has led to the loss of traditional knowledge and skills about pest and weed management, leaving farmers with no other options if the chemicals stop working. Due to the financial investment that many farmers have made in engineered seeds and pesticides, it can be difficult for them to switch to alternative pest control methods that require the purchase of new equipment and the investment of time and labor costs.

Pesticide Use in the US and Worldwide

According to the most recent report on pesticide sales and use from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the US used 1.1 billion pounds of pesticides in both 2011 and 2012, which is 23 percent of the nearly six billion pounds used worldwide. Almost 90% of pesticides used in the United States come from agriculture, with the remaining coming from commercial/government use and home gardens.

The Link Between Herbicides and GMOs

The agricultural sector uses herbicides most frequently, accounting for approximately 90 percent of pesticide usage. Monsanto, an agrochemical company now owned by Bayer, is well known for its line of “Roundup Ready” seeds, which are resistant to glyphosate, the main ingredient in the popular herbicide “Roundup”. The combination of the two products means that farmers can spray glyphosate over an entire field without damaging their main crop. Herbicide-resistant seeds are very popular among farmers because they can easily control pests on crops like corn and soy. In 2012, the volume of glyphosate used in the US increased tenfold from 15 million pounds to 159 million pounds.

A Powerful Industry

The agricultural chemical companies and their trade associations (such as CropLife), are motivated by profit and want farmers to be reliant on pesticides. The pesticides industry is worth $14 billion in the US; two-thirds of that is for agricultural use. About three-fourths of agrichemical sales are of herbicides that are used with genetically modified seeds, but these sales figures do not include sales of the seeds themselves. Monsanto’s net sales from genetically engineered corn, soybean, and cotton seeds totaled 9.5 billion dollars in 2017.

The industry has exploded in growth and the companies involved have merged to become larger. By 2018, there were only three major agricultural chemical companies left: DowDuPont, ChemChina, and Syngenta. This is down from six companies in the past. If a few large corporations have a lot of control, it can mean that farmers have fewer choices and have to pay higher prices. These companies also have more political power.

Political Power of the Agrochemical Industry

Agrochemical companies have had a lot of political power for a long time. Agricultural groups spent nearly $33 million combined to lobby Congress in 2016. The “revolving door” is a term used to describe the way in which former industry leaders serve in the government agencies overseeing their industries in order to keep regulation of pesticides and other agricultural products and practices extremely limited.

The agricultural chemical industry also affects the scientific research that guides policy decisions: as public spending on agricultural research and development has decreased sharply, industry now funds a much larger share. Pharmaceutical companies may choose not to investigate certain issues, or may withhold results that are unfavorable to their products. The most widely known case is the dispute over the herbicide atrazine; research done by impartial sources often indicates it is detrimental to wildlife, while research financed by the industry constantly affirms there are no negative effects. The EPA has been changing its recommendations on atrazine use due to research showing that it could be harmful. The current guidelines allow for higher levels of atrazine than what researchers believe is safe.

7 Health Impacts of Pesticides

extensive research over many years hasconfirmed that exposure to pesticides has harmful effects on human health over a long period of time.

1. They can increase your risk for, and even cause, certain types of cancers.

Pesticides like organochlorines, creosote, and sulfamate cause cancer, while DDT, chlordane, and lindane make tumors grow. Pesticides containing arsenic are linked to cancer in humans.

2. They can lead to severe respiratory problems.

A review published in 2013 in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health found that people who use pesticides regularly as part of their job have been shown to have a higher risk of developing breathing problems including impaired lung function, asthma and chronic bronchitis. Some evidence suggests that pesticides may be linked to lung cancer.

3. They might cause damage to your kidneys and even lead to kidney disease.

A review in 2017 of 21 studies on chronic kidney disease and pesticide exposure found that there is a correlation between the two. The researchers found that 62% of the studies showed a positive connection between the two, even though it was difficult to come to definite conclusions because of potential confounding factors and a lack of lifetime exposure assessment.

4. They can result in cognitive decline and lead to brain disorders.

Not surprisingly, pesticides aren’t good for your brain either. If you are exposed to high levels of pesticides for a short period of time, it can be toxic to your nervous system. Other research indicates that long-term exposure to this chemical may also increase the risk of developing Parkinson’s disease. In a study, it was concluded that exposure to certain pesticides can cause an increased risk of developing Parkinson’s by 250%.

5. They can cause severe birth defects.

The study found that prenatal exposure to a class of pesticides known as pyrethroids was linked to lower IQ scores in children. A2017 study looking at 500,000 birth records for people born in California’s San Joaquin Valley found that prenatal exposure to a class of pesticides known as pyrethroids was linked to lower IQ scores in children. The risk of giving birth to a child with a birth defect increased by five to nine percent when pregnant women were exposed to significant levels of pesticides (~4200 kg).

6. They can have lasting, disrupting effects on your hormones.

Pesticides can disrupt the endocrine system, which can lead to problems with sexual and reproductive function. Prolonged exposure can also lead to infertility, low birth weight, fetal death, and certain childhood cancers.

7. They can increase the risk for developing autism.

A 2019 study found that if a mother lived within a 1¼ mile radius of exposure to surrounding pesticides, there was an increased risk for autism spectrum disorders in her child. The babies of women who were exposed to pesticides were compared to those of women who were not exposed to pesticides and live in the same agricultural region. Pesticide exposure during pregnancy has been linked to an increased risk of autism in infants, according to new research. Other studies have found that mothers who live near fields that are sprayed with pesticides are more likely to have babies that are born prematurely, and children who have autism, cognitive impairments, and other neurodevelopmental disorders.

5 Environmental Impacts of Pesticides

Pesticides don’t just affect you, me, and other humans. They also impact our environment in profound ways, too.

How?

1. They kill important pollinators.

The most well-known pollinators are honey bees which travel from flower to flower and release pollen. Honey bees play an important role in the growth of many types of food by pollinating them. The direct toxicity of chemicals on bees is so well known that there are now labels for it. Neonicotinoids are pesticides that are toxic to insect brains, and they are some of the worst pesticides. Fungicides not only reduce the number of good gut bacteria in bee larvae, but also make it more difficult for bees to obtain nutrients from pollen.

2. They disrupt the food chain and essential ecosystems.

Excessive pesticide use can have a negative impact on the environment, including destroying land and trees, killing insects, and causing fish to leave their habitats. Many of the chemicals used in lawn care can be harmful to wildlife. Some of these chemicals can cause grass to become poisonous to animals who eat it.

3. They kill soil and degrade the nutritional content of food.

Pesticides break down the soil, which decreases the soil quality and the amount of nutrients, including potassium and nitrogen. If there is an imbalance in the amount of soil creatures, it can be harmful to the animals who rely on them for their ecosystem. If soil is degraded, it might not be able to support crops anymore. Even if it can, the food that is grown in it will have less nutrients.

4. They contaminate the water supply.

Pesticides don’t just come in contact with plants and insects, and then disappear. There are several ways these chemicals can end up in groundwater, such as when water seeps through the ground and dissolves them, when rain washes them off the surface, when small organisms absorb them, or when plants take them up.

5. They’re also bad for farmworkers.

This is despite evidence that even low amounts of pesticide exposure are toxic to people. The EPA should be monitoring the health risks to farmworkers routinely, but they are not. The people who use these chemicals every day are exposed to much higher levels than most consumers ever will be.

Many farmworkers expose their families to toxic chemicals by bringing residues home on their shoes and clothing. More than one study has found that children of farmworkers are exposed to more pesticides than the general public. Because of their exposure to these pesticides, farmworker families are more likely to experience symptoms of acute pesticide exposure. Some possible symptoms of exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals are early puberty, cognitive impairments, adverse birth outcomes, and neurodevelopmental disorders in children. It is ironic that the people who are most likely to be harmed by exposure to toxic chemicals are the ones who are working to feed the world.