Paragraph 2:
Economic and social benefits of pesticide
Pesticides have saved countless lives by reducing the impact of diseases that are transmitted by insects as well as play a major role in humankind’s efforts to grow and store enough food to feed itself.
The social and economical benefits of pesticides include:
- Cheap food
- A profitable chemical industry
- Export markets
- Better quality of life
Paragraph 3:
Effects from chemicals in pesticides
The effects from chemicals in pesticides include: all cancers, a reduction in sperm count, emotional abnormalities, loss of cognitive functioning, sexual abnormalities, and much more. Some major categories of pesticide chemicals are:
- Endocrine (hormones) system disrupters
Endocrine disrupters are man-made synthetic chemicals that act on the endocrine systems of humans and animals by mimicking, blocking and/or interfering with the natural functions of hormones and cells.
- Carcinogines – Cancer causing chemicals
Paragraph 4:
Pesticides and birds
Birds are innocent victims in our relentless war against species that compete with us. Pesticides can kill birds directly, poison them without killing them directly, or affect them by reducing their food or habitat resources.
Birds can pick up pesticides in the following ways:
- Birds feed on insects and smaller preys killed from ingesting pesticides.
- Birds may feed from a pesticide runoff in a residental pond.
Paragraph 5:
Health effects on human, specifically children
There is abundant evidence of the risk toxic pesticides pose to human health. The most vulnerable populations are children, the developing fetus, the elderly, the ill and immunocompromised. Children are at higher risk of cancer if their parents use pesticides in the home because:
- Children absorb greater concentrations of pesticides (poisons) per pound of body weight through inhalation, ingestion and contact with the skin.
- Children are more likely to play on treated floors and grounds. Unwashed hands often find their way to the mouth or to unwrapped snacks.
- Because many pesticides (poisons) are heavier than air, children’s breathing areas are likely to have higher pesticide (poison) concentrations.
- Children may not read, understand or pay attention to warning signs.
- A child’s biology is different. Their immune system is less developed and may be less protective.
- Developing cells are more easily damaged than cells that have completed development. During the rapid growth period of childhood, cells divide very quickly, making it more likely that a cellular mutation will be reproduced, thus initiating cancer.
- Because they are younger, children have a longer life span ahead of them for chemically induced health problems to progress.
- Small doses of neurotoxins can drastically impair the learning process in children.
References
-
Landrigan, Philip J. The Unique Vulnerability of Infants and Children to Pesticides. Environmental Health Perspectives v.107, Supp.3 Jun99.
-
Green, Sara J. Toxic-fertilizer Rules Criticized at EPA Hearings. Seattle Times, November 30, 2001.
-
Sherman, Neil. Endocrine disruptors may be dangerous even at minute levels EPA says. HealthScout Reporter, May 16, 2001.
- Sierra Club of Canada
Pesticide campaign
- National Pesticide Information Center
