Before pesticides were created, farmers would burn their crops after a harvest to get rid of the pests, but the fumes harmed the environment around it and the crops took longer to grow. So, scientist invented a new way of defeating pests by not harming the crops or the health of nature around it. A pesticide is an insecticides, fungicides, rodenticides, insect repellants, weed killers, antimicrobials. Farmers use pesticides in producing food because they prevent, destroy and repel pests. They are beneficial in health protection as well as crop protection.
They protect us from diseases like Malaria and Typhus. Yet, pesticides are not always beneficial, foods that carry residue have a high risk of affecting the person eating the food. Most people aren’t worried because they think the lot of food does not have pesticide residue, but “About a dozen pesticides are present routinely in fresh produce and juices derived from produce at levels that pose significant risks…”. They can put children to risk of leukemia, and they increase the risk of non Hodgkin’s lymphoma disease.
Pesticides also affect pregnant women causing unplanned abortions. People want to decrease the amount of pesticides used in food for their own safety. The government have started to decrease the amount of pesticide used by allowing the farming of organic foods and “before a pesticide may be marketed and used in the United States, EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) evaluates the proposed pesticide thoroughly to ensure that it will not harm human health or the environment”.
If a company wants to use a new pesticide, they have to submit it to the EPA for the government to approve the new pesticide is risk free. The claim that the government does enough to decrease the amount of pesticide use is valid.The government restricts the use or risks of pesticides to ensure the safety of the citizens. For instance, the Food Quality Protection Act (FQPA) of 1996, demanded that the EPA conduct a new risk assessment “of all food uses of pesticides , taking into account the heightened susceptibility of infants and children, the elderly, and other vulnerable population groups.
The government’s new process emphasized on the pesticides aggregate risk, cumulative risk, occupational risk, if it contaminated water, or if it endangered species, and it checks that pesticide again every 15 years for any changes. Also, it required that “…all pesticides sold or distributed in the United States (including imported pesticides) to be registered by EPA”(D). The registration was formed on scientific data and the benefits of the product. This helped people feel secure and confident that what they are buying won’t harm them and is safe. Due to the government decreasing the amount of pesticides, safety regulations occur therefore, limiting the diseases’ spread and creation of strict laws putting humans and the environment first. With the help of the government, with the help of farmers, with the help of FQPA, pesticide use is decreasing and being controlled for the safety of living things.
The Pest Control Method. (2022, Apr 26). Retrieved from http://envrexperts.com/free-essays/essay-about-the-pest-control-method