Are Pesticides Necessary?
Many farmers from around the world use pesticides to control pests from destroying their crops. Pesticides are killing substances that are applied to fruits and vegetables to help protect them against harmful organisms. Pesticides are not always good for vegetables and fruits because excessive use can make foods poisonous to humans. Moreover, pesticides are chemicals that contain poisons to insects and when used, these chemicals coat the fruits and vegetables which are sent into produce markets to be sold. People eventually buy and eat these foods and if they are not washed properly, chemicals end up going in their body systems that are meant for harmful organisms. Not only are people being affected by these chemicals, but the environment as well, along with the atmosphere and nearby animals. Many animals end up getting killed by all the chemical particles that float around the air and it pollutes the atmosphere which has led to discussions on whether or not people should continue using pesticides. The use of pesticides has changed many of the foods that people eat on a daily basis, they’ve become toxic and unhealthy to eat. Many say pesticides are causing trouble towards the environment and society, and others say pesticides are helping our fruits and vegetables by not getting infested. Scientists have created experiments to see how pesticides are harming us or how they are improving our foods on resisting and fighting back pests. Throughout this paper, both sides of the argument will be discussed, and evidence will be brought up to justify any ideas or hypotheses.
To start off let’s begin with some negative facts about the use of pesticides. Using pesticides can easily spread into the environment, which can reach the atmosphere and contaminate the surroundings of the area where the place of the application was used thanks to its potential from the soil, water and vegetal surface (Souza, 2017). The reason why it spreads to the environment is from the wind, it carries the chemicals that are being sprayed onto the fruits and vegetables and expands it all over the area. Which then lands on other plants and animals who will then start having side effects which lead to death. Those with high amounts of pesticide residue include fresh plums, peaches, strawberries, spinach and peppers (Howard, 2017). Many people eat these kinds of foods without even knowing that these are on top of the list on high pesticide residue. The contamination of these foods is related to the unwanted effects observed in living organisms, communities, and the contamination of the main environmental compartments which are water, soil, and air.
Research has found that consuming fruits and vegetables with a high amount of pesticide residue was highly associated with the probability of losing a pregnancy (Howard, 2017). This is one of the main reasons why parts of the world are trying to decrease the use of pesticides on crops; it’s leading to the death of unborn children. Fruits and vegetables are an essential part of a healthy pregnancy diet, providing vitamins and fiber to the fetus and mother. Yet some might also come with pesticide residues (Howard, 2017). In Souza’s article, he states how Brazil is the main consumer of pesticides in the world, explaining how Brazil’s agriculture has negatively affected the world due to their use of high amounts of pesticides. Which is why the Canadian, the UK, and the US created programs to reduce the amounts of pesticide use and use low-risk pesticides, these programs were initiated around 2003 according to Bahlai. Large-scale use of these pesticides is likely to contaminate major environmental compartments and expose more people to toxic chemicals. In 2008, Brazil became the world’s leading consumer of pesticides (Souza, 2017). Being the world’s country with the highest use of pesticides brought consequences to Brazil’s ecosystems since there was high contamination of water, soil, and air. Additionally, the development of this agricultural model to current times has been responsible for impacts and damages to the world’s environment and public health.
From the other side of the argument, there are supportive points for pesticide use. To begin with, pesticides help and protect surrounding crops from getting infested by harmful insects and other pests. For instance, Bt corn controls pests in other types of crops planted nearby, specifically vegetables. In doing so, it cuts down on the use of pesticides on these crops, as well (Gitig, 2019). Bt corn is a genetically modified crop that is far different from the ordinary corn because it contains chemicals in its DNA to fight off pests so it doesn’t need the applications of pesticides since it expresses pesticide behavior and it’s also able to resist environmental factors. The use of genetic engineering is very beneficial to plants and farmers because it helps crops adapt to these sudden changes and farmers save money. In fact, because Bt crops only deliver the toxin to those insects that eat the crop, it was considered less likely to cause environmental issues because there aren’t any chemicals being sprayed. Additionally, Bt corn is not the only crop that can express this behavior, there are other plants who have similar characteristics. For example, cotton and soybeans that have been engineered to express insect-killing proteins have indeed been successful at controlling the crops’ respective pests (Gitig, 2019). Bt corn was first planted in 1996 and an experiment was conducted to see if the population of moths would decrease in New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia. They captured moths for analysis every night in vegetable fields. Moths may look nice, but they don’t behave nicely towards farmer’s crops because they eat leaves and destroy crops. The scientist noticed a drop of moths which they soon connected it to Bt corn being planted around the area. As the population of moths went down, the number of pesticide applications went down as well.
Green beans and peppers used to require three to six pesticide applications per crop cycle to ensure marketable quality (Gitig, 2019). Spraying many pesticides just for a fruit to look pleasurable is one of the main problems of using pesticides. Not only are they coated with so many applications, but/ it’s also a waste of food since its mostly covered with chemicals. And now that the widespread benefits of Bt crop use are known, farmers from around the world can now plant crops that are genetically engineered to help surrounding crops, so they can save money and use fewer chemicals. Fortunately, the number of pesticide applications used has decreased around the states because between 1992 and 2016, the total amount of insecticide applied to New Jersey fields decreased by 85% (Gitig, 2019). Genetically engineered crops have benefited farmers because they no longer have to spray so many pesticides on crops. There are now many fruits and vegetables with less pesticide residue due to this benefit which include avocados, onions, dried plums or prunes, corn and orange juice (Howard, 2017).
The widespread use of pesticides is in both ways effective and harmful to the people and planet. Prior to the existence of pesticides, farmer’s crops were destroyed and eaten by pests like moths, maggots, and rodents. Now that pesticides exist, farmers are able to exterminate these pests just by spraying chemicals that are harmful to insects and rodents. In addition, as seen throughout the page, pesticides seem to be helpful. Many pesticides accomplish the intended task of eliminating pests and making crops last. Unfortunately, excessive use of pesticides can have a negative effect on the environment from contamination to death. But when it comes to the consumers it’s very unfortunate since their fruits and vegetables are full of chemicals that can kill them. The use of pesticides has proved very useful in Gitig’s article because she discusses the success of Bt corn and how it can be used in many parts of the country in order to reduce the use of pesticides. As for Howard’s article alongside with Souza, they prove how a study links produce with high amounts of pesticide residues with women’s fertility issues and how pesticides are exposing more pollution to the world and ruining ecosystems.
Citations:
Souza, Gustavo dos Santos, et al. “Presence of pesticides in atmosphere and risk to human health: a discussion for the Environmental Surveillance.” Ciência & Saúde Coletiva, vol. 22, no. 10, 2017, p. 3269+. Global Issues in Context, https://link-galegroup-com.ccny-proxy1.libr.ccny.cuny.edu/apps/doc/A516447471/OVIC?u=cuny_ccny&sid=OVIC&xid=5088d894. Accessed 15 Mar. 2019.
Hadian, Zahra, et al. “Pesticide Residues Analysis in Iranian Fruits and Vegetables by Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry.” Iranian Journal of Pharmaceutical Research, vol. 18, no. 1, Winter 2019, pp. 275–285. EBSCOhost, ccny-proxy1.libr.ccny.cuny.edu/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=134633618&site=ehost-live.
Bahlai, Christine A., et al. “Choosing Organic Pesticides over Synthetic Pesticides May Not Effectively Mitigate Environmental Risk in Soybeans.” PLoS ONE, vol. 5, no. 6, 2010, p. e11250. Opposing Viewpoints in Context, https://link-galegroup-com.ccny-proxy1.libr.ccny.cuny.edu/apps/doc/A473889153/OVIC?u=cuny_ccny&sid=OVIC&xid=b6f07c27. Accessed 15 Mar. 2019.
Gitig, Diana. “Planting GMOs kills so many bugs that it helps non-GMO crops.” Opposing Viewpoints Online Collection, Gale, 2019. Opposing Viewpoints in Context, https://link-galegroup-com.ccny-proxy1.libr.ccny.cuny.edu/apps/doc/UAHPYT657454061/OVIC?u=cuny_ccny&sid=OVIC&xid=fa5d0b82. Accessed 15 Mar. 2019.
Howard, Jacqueline. “Study Ties Pesticides in Food to Fertility Issues.” CNN, Cable News Network, 30 Oct. 2017, www.cnn.com/2017/10/30/health/pesticides-in-food-fertility-study/index.html.
Meyer, Zlati. “Weed Killer in Your Wine and Beer? That’s What a New U.S. PIRG Study Found.” USA Today, Gannett Satellite Information Network, 25 Feb. 2019, www.usatoday.com/story/money/2019/02/25/new-pirg-study-says-weed-killer-in-your-wine-beer/2943880002/.
