Research Essay

EFFECTS OF PESTICIDES IN THE PEOPLE

As habitants of a city that is near a valley, most of the people who live here are involved in agriculture, or it is simply their job. We all know they use all types of products to maintain their planting free of bugs or plagues. But have you ever thought about how these products, like pesticides, affect the people who live near the valley?

Pesticides are the only toxic substances released intentionally into our environment to kill living things, according with the Toxics Action Center. And they are right in every single way. Agriculturists use it with an objective, to kill every kind of plague, weed, bug, fungus, etc… But they are not thinking about the people that inhale the substance, and what about the people who eat the products full of pesticides? Growers think of pesticides as the most common solution, and every horticulturist around the world does. Pesticides are not only applied in the agriculture field, you can also find them in parks, schools, homes, the air, food, and even water. The fact that it is in the actual air, food and water is because the particles of the substance fly along with the air, or are directly applied to the plants that give out the fruits or vegetables we eat.

People who live nearby are the ones that are more exposed to the intoxicated air, and that is when we should make conscious about how this situation is affecting them. Pesticides can cause from short-term impact, such as nausea and headaches to chronic impact, as cancer, reproductive harm and endocrine disruption. Acute dangers - such as nerve, skin, and eye irritation and damage, headaches, dizziness, nausea, fatigue, and systemic poisoning - can sometimes be dramatic, and even occasionally fatal, says TAC.

The kind of effect you get depends on the type of pesticide. Some, such as the organophosphates and carbamates, affect the nervous system. Others may irritate the skin or eyes. Some pesticides may be carcinogens. Others may affect the hormone or endocrine system in the body, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Pesticides have been linked to a myriad of diseases. The Pesticides Literature Review, which is based on studies conducted by a multi-university research team in Toronto, concludes, "People should reduce their exposure to pesticides because of links to serious 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." 

What has happened to me is that whenever I see a cockroach I kill it with Raid, which is a pesticide, and I get immediate effects; I get nausea and a strong headache. So imagine the effects a huge amount of pesticide causes in people who breathe it in whenever an agriculturist has the bad idea to fumigate their crops. My dad sells fertilizers, he says pesticides, besides affecting people’s lives, it also affects the crops in some ways, that’s why his clients prefer using fertilizers, but not all of them do it because of the people, but because of their crops.

This information is basically to create awareness about what is happening to the people who live near the valley, not because is not happening to you or it simply hasn’t had their effects on you, doesn’t mean it isn’t affecting others. This is for people who use pesticides in their crops, think of the bunch of people you are affecting, and even yourselves.

The Problem With Pesticides. (n.d.). Retrieved September 12, 2015, from http://www.toxicsaction.org/problems-and-solutions/pesticides

Pesticides: What You Need to Know. (2012, February 7). Retrieved September 12, 2015, from http://www.nrdc.org/health/pesticides/

Pesticides: Health and Safety. (2014, October 17). Retrieved September 12, 2015, from http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/health/human.htm

WHY ORGANIC: HARMFUL EFFECTS OF CHEMICAL PESTICIDES. (2014, May 19). Retrieved September 12, 2015, from http://www.havahart.com/why-organic-harmful-effects-of-chemical-pesticides