 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 very apple. There are 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 apple; you are also getting a taste of pesticides residue that is sitting on the surface, or have seeped into the fruit via pores. Pesticides come in wide ranges such as insecticides, herbicides, fungicides and other compounds. These chemicals cause controversy and questions of "Are they safe" have arose. As a healthy individual, I invest my time in eating healthy meals that include a wide variety of fresh produce. However, if pesticides could possibly have a negative effect on the outcome my life, I would like to be informed so I could make the best food related decisions. 

The use of pesticides are an effective way to stimulate a healthy economy, however many hazardous issues come along with using these chemicals. If the American federal government monitor regulations more effectively, the negative aspects would be lessened. A healthier environment and longevity of human lives would be a result of this. 

During the mid 20th century, the world population increased. In India, many counts of famine, hungry, and malnutrition plagued the country. The government had to import food because they county could not make enough to satisfy the needs of the people (WWOOF). As a result, to this epidemic, technology in India took a turn for the better of its people. This was the start of the Green Revolution. The Green Revolution was a switch from traditional farming into chemical farming that produced higher yields. This was due to the use of pesticides. The beginning production of pesticides began in India in 1952 (Aktar). During this time chemical farming started to become an effective way of producing healthy and numerous crops. 10 years after this change in farming, production in wheat in India double from 12million tons to over 20 million tons according to (Fresco). This was enough to feed all their people. This new way of farming proved to be useful. It was estimated that millions of India would die of famine by the 70s, however, the green revolution was an impactful way to reverse such things from happening (WWOOF).

While the green revolution was cultivating the Asian continent, World War 2 was ending and pesticides use skyrocketed. While Lyndon Johnson was president and he had important decisions to make concerning the use of pesticides. He was put under pressure to cultivate these new ways of farming by the western farmers of the United States. Also, he wanted to prevent India from having any influence with the Soviet Union (Fresco). Scientist agreed with his decisions to start using pesticides. A competition developed where scientist were in a race to "Feed the World" (Fresco). This lead to the creation of DDTs (dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane) and other powerful chemicals. These substances were easy to use, effective, and inexpensive (Damalas). Even though these chemicals have been proven to help countries with food problems, pesticides have had negative effects on the environment, living species, and humans. 

3 billion kg of pesticides are used worldwide (Pimentel). In the united states alone, 500 million kg of pesticides are used yearly and cost about $10 billion(Pimentel). These chemicals are so widely used that human expose and contamination is bound to happen. There is indirect and direct exposure to pesticides. The farmers and agricultural people have a more hands on experience with the chemicals, while we, people who don't work in that field, have indirect contact with pesticides. However, these chemicals are still everywhere around us and they cause a wide variety of health problems in humans. Since the majority of the population do not directly handle pesticides, we must be informed of the dangers they can still cause to our health. 

Breast cancer is the most prevalent type of cancer in women (watts). As the increase in pesticide use grew in the late 90s, so did the reports of breast cancer. According to Mariel Watts, reports of breast cancer rose 30-40 percent. This rise in percent was linked with the increase of synthetic chemical usage around the world. Watts writes, "80% of breast cancer is thought to be associated with environmental factors". This is because more than 50% of breast cancer cases are "unexplained" (watts). The Chemical found in pesticides, DDT, has been evaluated under epidemiological studies. In these studies, a link between the residue of DDT and beast cancer have been seen as an increased risk. Pesticides may increase the risk of breast cancer because they are mammary carcinogens. This means pesticides increase the risk of developing cancer causing cells in mammary glands because the chemicals that make up the substances are toxic to the human body. Not only do pesticides increase the risk, but they also promote the growth of these harmful cancer causing cells. Also, mixing of the chemicals, even at low levels, can be hazardous when combined. There is a 10-fold increase of carcinogens when someone is exposed (watts). There are over 100 types of pesticides that increase the risk of breast cancer in women. Cancer in women is not the only health related problem said to be caused by pesticides. 

The chemical organophosphate has been banned from being an ingredient in pesticide formulas. Since then a new and "safer" chemical has replaced it. This chemical is called pyrethroids and the use of it has skyrocketed since the 21th century. However, it was proven that this chemical causes symptoms of hyperactivity, ADHD, in children (Devon). Tanya Froehlich, an expert at the Cincinnati Children's Hospital, carried out a study that provided a connection between ADHD and pesticides. In this study they urine tested young boys between the ages eight and fifteen (Devon).  It was found that the boys who had detectable levels of pyrethoids in their urine were at a 3 times more likely to be diagnosed with ADHD. Every 10-fold of the chemical found was a 50% increase in hyperactivity (Devon). 

Farmers themselves have more health problems because they handle the application and use of pesticides directly. Since they are so hands on, health related issue are rampant amongst them. Some of these problems include prostate cancer, leukemia, non-hodginks lymphoma, multiple myeloma, soft tissue sarcoma, and many more (Alavanja). A more serious interest in the connection between Parkinson's disease in farmers and pesticides have been studied. Since there is a link between this disease and people who live in rural areas of the world, the risk factor is heighten. 12 of 20 studies, more than half, have all had a position correlation with the disease and pesticides. Also, respitory problems in farmers are chronic. The people who direly apply the chemicals usually suffer from asthma, bronchitis, and sinusitis (Pimentel). During the time of increased use of pesticides, around 1950-1990s, sperm count in men declined by 50%. This is because pesticides have been linked in sterility (Pimentel). 

The health related problems linked with pesticide exposure is detrimental. on a worldwide count, about 500,000 pesticide poisoning cases and 5000 deaths due to pesticides are reported each year (Woodward). The largest number of death are in third world, developing countries (Wilson and Tisdell).  In just the United States alone, there are about 67,000 cases of pesticide poisoning annually (Woodward). Not only do pesticides have a devastating effect on human life, but also on other living species. 

"More than one-third of the world's crop production is dependent on bee pollination" says Marla Speak. Bees are one of the most important aspects of producing produce. They are the most important pollinators for most fruits and vegetables. In the US alone, bees are estimated to benefit agriculture by $40 billion a year (Pimentel). However, since World War 2, the number of bee colonies have declined. This is due to the new way of farming and the increasing use of pesticides. Pesticides are on the loads of pollen that bees carry home for food to their colonies (Spivak). Almost every amount of pollen bees bring home has at least 4 or more detectable pesticides in it. If these chemicals are applied in high doses, bees can instantly die. Lower dosages can cause a bee to be intoxicated and not find its way home. This is a problem because all the bees are interconnected and count on each other to make sure the colony as a whole prospers. Also herbicides, a form of pesticides, kill off flowing plants that bees need to survive. These flowing plants are vital to bees' survival (Spivak). Bees are of great economical value (Werf). We cannot risk the elimination of bees. 20% of bees are negatively affected by pesticides (Pimentel) and we cannot afford to lose any more bee colonies. Not only are bees at risk, but other living species like marine life do not stand a chance against these chemicals. 

 Marine life is fragile and changes in the ecosystem and be harmful to many other ecosystems that rely on it. When pesticides enter aquatic ecosystems by runoffs, this cause the loss of many organism (Wilson and Tisdell). Fish, shrimp, and mussels can be killed as a direct effect of pesticides that runoff into the water where these organisms live. Pimentel states that 6-14 million fish are killed by pesticides each year and its impossible to report all fish that have suffered due to pesticides. This means that is an underestimate of the actual amount since all fish can not be accounted for (Pimentel). Algae, which is one of the most important species in the aquatic ecosystem, can be harmed even at low levels (Aktar). The pesticides cause cells to be damaged, stunt growth, and block photosynthesis (Aktar). Flowing waters can help reduce the concentration of pesticides, however marine life is still effected by those chemicals being in the water.  

Being that pesticides can easily effect living species, imagine the toll the environment takes. Not only are pesticides contamination living species, but they are poisoning the environment. Werf writes, "in most studies the proportion of pesticides applied reaching the target pest has been found to be less than 0.3%, so 99.7% went 'somewhere else' in the environment". The application of pesticides is a big reason why they are being spread to other areas then what is expected. The most common way of application is liquids sprayed on the crop or on the soil. 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 (). Plants can also absorb the pesticides by the plant roots. In turn this travels all throughout the plant and to the pollen making source which effects the bees. Not only is the soil being polluted, but so is the air.  

Another popular way is by aircraft and up to 50%-70% may drift away from the targeted area (Pimentel). This gives rise to volatilization (Werf). Volatization means that the pesticides evaporate rapidly and turn into vapor then travel through the atmosphere. Up to 80-90% of pesticides can be volatized after a few days of application (Aktar). The result of this is air contamination. Air contaminated by pesticides is a growing problem. The USGS, US Geological Survey's, has reported that pesticide residue has been detected in all sampled areas in the United States of America (Aktar). 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 can even make their way into the water we drink.  

Bodies of water such as rivers, and streams have been contaminated by the use of pesticides. The USGS, have found that 90 percent of water contained one or more pesticide samples (Aktar). This includes all major rivers to have contained at least one pesticide that has polluted it (Cox). In the US, nearly one-half of the groundwater has pollution potential (Pimentel). This is a problem because half of the population gets their water from wells, and when the groundwater is contaminated, the pesticide residue remains for a long time (Pimentel) The results of this problem is widespread and effects many countries. Not only is groundwater contaminated with pesticides hard to clean, it is also costly. According to Pimentel, it would take $2 billion annually to get rid of all the pesticides that contaminate the ground water. 

Though the impact of pesticides are negative and effect every part of the environment, these chemicals essential for the economy. It is said that we have to endue the negative aspects to reap the positive attributes that pesticides bring. In a way, we all accept the negative benefits. An example of this is: when we go to the grocery store and we are in the produce section, we look for the produce that looks the best. Produce that do not have scratches, bruises, discoloration, or small nibbled holes are the ones we purchase. This is because we do not want to eat food that has been effected in any way. And to prevent that, pesticides have to be used to kill off the invading pest. Insects ruin 15% of crops, disease pathogens ruin 13% and other harvesting problems ruin 10% of crops. Pesticides are needed to reduce these percent's (Damalas). 

Pesticides are also responsible for bringing in revue for an economy. The higher the yields, the more economic return there is. This revenue could then be put towards children's education, medical care, or other important things that make an economy prosper. 

