Free Essays on Pesticides

What are pesticides? Pesticides are toxins, which are used by produce growers universally to control pests and insects that can destroy crops. Many times once these products are sold, these toxins are being ingested by humans in the forms of fruits and vegetables that have remaining toxins on them. There are many important issues in the world regarding the environment and it's affects on the average person. Yet pesticides are still found daily in foods all around the world. How safe are these toxins to humans and what is being done to safeguard the environment as well as the health of individuals? Does the average person consume harmful amounts of poison at every meal? If the levels are unsafe, why is this problem continuing to get a blind eye from the people who are supposed to protect society? These questions when asked only lead to more questions. Until things are done to change the systems of pesticide usage universally, society can never be sure as to the long term effects on our environment and what they are eating or giving to the future of our world, the children. In some foreign countries pesticides are used more frequently with legislative control than in the United States. In Central America and South America, for example, many of the pesticides that the United States and European countries have banned, wind up being used on a majority of their produce crops. One of these pesticides is DDT, which was the most common form of pesticide in the 1970’s and 1980’s, but has now been banned. The largest problem with this is that Europe and the United States import from South America for produce all of the time. Mexico and South America are the leading suppliers of produce for the earth's population. One reason is because their climate is steady enough to produce crops all year long. Unfortunately, those countries are also known for their large amount of insects of all varieties. Over 10 million species of different inse... Free Essays on Pesticides Free Essays on Pesticides PESTICIDES Pesticides are chemicals that are used to destroy pests. In the agricultural industry, pesticides are classified into two categories, carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic. A carcinogenic pesticide is a substance or agent producing or inciting cancer. On the other hand, a non-carcinogenic pesticide is substance that does not produce or incite cancer. Most agricultural pesticides were registered in the 1950’s, with no standard regulations. The most considerable standard prior to the amendments of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA) was if a revocation of a pesticide occurred. Today, the numerous amount of pesticides used in the United States are regulated by the FFDCA. The Delaney Clause and the Food Quality Protection Act have modified and enforced pesticide regulations. Consumer concerns with the usage of pesticides in the agricultural industry, in regards to health factors, have overwhelmed the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and demand they e nforce pesticide regulations. With the assistance from other organizations such as the Senate Agriculture Committee (SAC), National Academy of Science (NAS), National Resources Defense Council (NRDC), and Consumers Union (CU), the EPA has made a notable progress. Throughout the years, consumers have pushed for research of the chemicals and substances that produce agricultural pesticides and what these pesticides do to our internal system. Congressman, James J. Delaney was also convinced that too many pesticide chemicals were found in foods. So in 1958, the House Select Committee investigated the use of chemicals in food products and amended section 409 of the FFDCA, in result creating The Delaney Clause. The bill The Delaney Clause was put into practice to avoid carcinogenic pesticides in the United States food supply. According to Congressional Reports, the intent of the bill was to reduce public exposure to a wide range of health eff... Free Essays on Pesticides What are pesticides? Pesticides are toxins, which are used by produce growers universally to control pests and insects that can destroy crops. Many times once these products are sold, these toxins are being ingested by humans in the forms of fruits and vegetables that have remaining toxins on them. There are many important issues in the world regarding the environment and it's affects on the average person. Yet pesticides are still found daily in foods all around the world. How safe are these toxins to humans and what is being done to safeguard the environment as well as the health of individuals? Does the average person consume harmful amounts of poison at every meal? If the levels are unsafe, why is this problem continuing to get a blind eye from the people who are supposed to protect society? These questions when asked only lead to more questions. Until things are done to change the systems of pesticide usage universally, society can never be sure as to the long term effects on our environment and what they are eating or giving to the future of our world, the children. In some foreign countries pesticides are used more frequently with legislative control than in the United States. In Central America and South America, for example, many of the pesticides that the United States and European countries have banned, wind up being used on a majority of their produce crops. One of these pesticides is DDT, which was the most common form of pesticide in the 1970’s and 1980’s, but has now been banned. The largest problem with this is that Europe and the United States import from South America for produce all of the time. Mexico and South America are the leading suppliers of produce for the earth's population. One reason is because their climate is steady enough to produce crops all year long. Unfortunately, those countries are also known for their large amount of insects of all varieties. Over 10 million species of different inse...