 Imagine sitting back and enjoying a succulent red apple. It is composed of juicy crunchy fleshy insides with a sweet fresh flavor. Its so indulgent that it makes your mouth water. Now think about all the pest that would also enjoy this apple. There is a lot of them, however they would ruin the quality of the apple if they were to get inside to enjoy the delicious substances. To make sure that these apples are only for our enjoyment, chemicals have been created to kill off these pests. These chemicals are called pesticides, and they are used on crops worldwide. So while you are enjoying an apply, you are also getting a taste of pesticides residue that is sitting on the surface, or have seeped into the fruit via pores. These chemicals cause controversy and questions of "Are they safe" have arose. "How are pesticides effecting the environment?", is a question that lots of people ask today. 

The begging production of pesticides began in India in 1952(source 1). Pesticides are wide range chemicals used to eliminate pest that include, bugs, small rodents, weeds or other invading life forms. These pesticides are used worldwide by many food producing industries to date. These chemicals are responsible for reducing the loss of product by getting rid of invading pest. They are now essential for producing high quality foods, higher yields, and a high profit for industries. The main goals of pesticides are to be lethal to the targeted pest, however, disputes of how non-targeted species are effected have appeared. There is scientific evidence that proves that pesticides are a risk to the environment.

Soil is a major part of growing and harvesting crops. Since most produce are soil grown, pesticides are more than often trapped there. This creates soil contaminations. The better organic matter in soil, the greater risk for pesticides to be absorbed. This ruins the fertility of the soil because beneficial micro-organisms thrive in that environment. When they are harmed, then the soil loses its quality. This causes the soil to degrade and erode. The use of these pesticides build up over time and eventually the soil is damaged and lacks nutrients. Not only is soil contaminated by pesticides, but so is water, which is a vital part of the ecosystems. 

Bodies of water such as rivers, and streams have been contaminated by the use of pesticides. The USGS, US Geological Survey's, have found that 90 percent of water contained one or more pesticide samples. This includes all major rivers to have contained at least one pesticide that has polluted it (Cox). The results of this problem is widespread and effects many countries. In the United states, half of the population gets their water from wells, and when the groundwater is contaminated, the pesticide residue remains for a long time (new source). Not only is groundwater contaminated with pesticides hard to clean, it is also costly. According to (David), It would take $2 billion annually to get rid of all the pesticides that contaminate the ground water (new source). Not only can the human population be effected contaminated water, but also marine life such as fish.

 Pesticides get washed into the aquatic systems and are hazardous to fish and other aquatic life forms. High concentrations of pesticides in the water directly kill fish. Lesser concentrations of these chemicals kill fish food, which cause the fish to go hungry, and eventually die. Although pesticides are not designed to kill fish, the side effects have been drastic to many of them. According to David, an estimate of 6-14 million fish are reported killed by pesticides. Pesticides are extremely toxic to fish. Adding to the water contamination that pesticides cause is the effects it has on the air.

Air contaminated by pesticides is a growing problem. The USGS has reported that pesticide residue has been detected in all sampled areas in the United States of America (source 1). This means the not only are we breathing in oxygen, by we are also taking in pesticides that fumigate the air. Although these chemicals don't have a specific smell, they are all around us. 

Pesticides contaminate almost every part of the environment. This includes the soil, water, and air. These pesticides effect many living organisms and the habit they live in. The human population is also at risk. Pesticides can possibly be the cause to many health issue. This is because these chemicals are everywhere in the environment. 

