Throughout my childhood, I have grown up on natural foods such as fruits and vegetables. I was also told to wash off these produce before I eat it because that would wash away all the "bad stuff". I was not sure why I had to do this, but every fruit or vegetable that I planned on eating was washed off. I later figured out that the reason behind that was to wash way the residue that gets left behind from the chemicals industries use to keep away pest. These chemicals are called pesticides. Pesticides cause a lot of controversy because they are said to cause pollution, ruin the habits of species, and even cause cancer in humans. Recently I have changed my diet so I can compete at a more competitive level. The changes that I have to make is to incorporate more vegetables and fruits into my diet. Since these produce are now a part of my every day, I have developed an interest in finding out how pesticides affect the environment, living species, and possibly me. This interest has given me good motivation to research this topic.

To begin my research, I looked up the hazards pesticides can cause. Caroline Cox takes a bias approach as she explains the dangers of using pesticides in her article "Ten Reasons Not to Use Pesticides". In this article, Cox describes how pesticides do not solve pest problems. Instead they create other problems such as health issues in humans. If exposed to large amounts of pesticides, cancer and reproduction problems can occur. Cox states that over 40 types of pesticides are classified as carcinogens, which causes cancer. To add to the destruction these chemicals can cause, is the effects they have on house pets, fish, and birds. In dogs, poisoning occurs frequently when exposed to pesticides that people use in their lawns. This causes cancer in dogs and long-term health problems. Birds and fish are directly effected through contamination of water and the food. Carolina Cox is interested in proving information on how pesticides disrupt every part of the environment. She is one sided and only describes the negative results of using these chemicals. Cox is a creditable source because she is head of the Center for Environmental Health's Research on toxic exposure and exposure to chemicals in consumer products. 

The second source I researched is an article by the three authors Md. Wasim Aktar , Dwaipayan Sengupta, Ashim Chowdhury. In the article "Impact of Pesticides Use in Argriculure: Their Benefits and Hazards" the authors go into great detail on pesticides. They discuss the benefits an economy can have that include better health, education, and economy for a population. This article also explains the hazardous effects of pesticide use. This Includes air, soil, and water contamination. All of these risk are worldwide and effect many countries. The authors make it known that pesticides have a significant risk to the environment and numerous of species. However, they do bring beneficial properties as well.  These factors are based on scientific judgments that researchers have developed. This article was a great way to inform us on how pesticides are affecting the environment positively and negatively. The authors are non bias because they do not pick a side. Instead they provide information on both sides of pesticide use. 

The third source is also an article. This article is by David Pimentel and it's called "Environmental and Economic Costs of the Application of Pesticides Primarily in the United States". In this article David Pimentel discuss the nation's dependency on pesticides and how much it is costing the USA. He analyzes the effects these pesticides have on the environment and how much money it will take to fix it. He estimates that there is $10 billion in environmental and damages. These damages affect human health, livestock, wildlife, and other parts of the environment. David Pimentel uses a non bias approach because he only states facts and estimates the amount of money it would take to recover the environment from the harm of pesticides. David Pimentel is a credible author because he was educated at the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Cornell University in Ithaca, NY. Here he received his Ph.D. David has also served as a Chairman of the Environmental Studies Board in the Office of the President. 

My research topic is arguable because many people agree or disagree with pesticide use. The controversial issues are out there however, many industries make too much of a profit to change. Also, a lot of people would rather continue the use of pesticides because they want their food to be the best of quality. My sources address the issues related to pesticides as well as the beneficial uses that those chemicals contribute to the world. These sources help me understand the worldwide risk of pesticides because it is, in more words or less, poison. In the future, I may need to research sources that include the industries point of view. Also, it would be beneficial to include a source that discuss more positive things about pesticides. 

