Pesticide-based repellents and lawn treatments are both becoming things of the past as alternative products have surfaced that are every bit as effective as their chemical cousins, lacking only the negative side effects. Are you wondering how chemical pesticides may affect our lives? We have summarized some of their potentially harmful effects on the environment, our health and our home.
Environmental Effects Studies have shown that chemical pesticides linger in the atmosphere, the ground and in our waterways long after they have ceased to be used in a given area. Almost 00 years of chemicals placed on fields across the world all add up to quite a bit of lingering pollution! Pesticide transfer is a major way in which chemicals cause collateral damage beyond their intended use. For example, dependencies and the Environment, Agricultural MUM Guide explains that “for certain pesticides to be effective, they must move within the soil… O much movement can move a pesticide away from the target pest. This can lead to reduced pest control, contamination of surface water and groundwater and injury of non-target species, including humans. ” Pesticides always end up traveling outside of their intended area of use – by air, soil or by water.
Organic products do not eliminate the travel aspect of repellents, but, by nature, their less harmful composition minimizes the harm done by the voyage. Food-based organic repellents (e. G. Trenches eggs, captain) are big steps in the right direction towards reducing potentially harmful chemical pesticides from the marketplace and ultimately from our food. Effects On Soil Once farmers went to widespread the use of chemical pesticides across the world, a drastic change in soil health followed. ‘”The United States government estimates that bevels of trace minerals in fruit and vegetables fell by up to 76% between 1940 and 1991 ” says Collect. The depleted nutritional value of our soil is tied directly to widespread increased exposure to pesticides. Read also The EPA tries to balance protecting business interests with protecting
Our non-organic foods sport a lot more than depleted nutritional value these days. Research has consistently found pesticide residues in a third of food, including residues of more than one chemical in apples, baby food, bread, cereal bars, fresh salmon, lemons, lettuces, peaches, nectarines, potatoes and strawberries. If it can be said that these chemicals are “meant” for the ground or for insects, they certainly are to meant to enter our bodies-especially since pesticides are designed to kill living organisms.
Going organic allows one to start from scratch with the soil. Decreasing soil chemical contamination creates an overall “return to nature”, bringing back nutrients, helpful organisms and yielding clean, unaltered produce, grown by you, in your own healthy, organic garden. Health Effects Pesticides have been linked too myriad of diseases. The Pesticides Literature Review , based on studies conducted by a multi-university research team in Toronto concludes that “people should reduce their exposure to pesticides because of links to errors illnesses.
Results of this study found consistent evidence of serious health risks such as cancer, nervous system diseases and reproductive problems in people exposed to pesticides… Through home and garden exposure. ” Similar research conducted has cited increased presence of neurological disorders, Parkinson disease, childhood leukemia, lymphoma, asthma and more unpleasant disease occurrences for those with ample exposure to chemical pesticides. Progressing to organic repellents is a logical step to potentially help reduce the chances of disease or accelerating the course of a disease.
