When you take a bite out of that big, red, juicy, apple do you ever think that you might be ingesting a little more than you bargained for? Do you think of all the chemicals that might have been sprayed, dropped, or even added to the fertilizer that is used to aid in the growing process, probably not. Most people don't even consider that something that they bought from their local produce department might contain chemicals that could cause damage to our health and also contaminate our drinking water. My question to you is; should something that is so hazardous to human health and the environment be allowed to be used on the food we eat, the grass our children play on, and the homes and buildings we live and work in? I think that when it comes to using these harmful substances they should only be used when or where they cannot cause harm.
Pesticides can cause many adverse effects in humans, which include; death, burn or irritation to the eyes and skin, nervous system damage, hormone and immune system disruption, reduce our ability to effectively reproduce, and cause cancer (Pesticides Hazardous 1). .
There are many different types of pesticides that can cause damage to our health. One of the most dangerous pesticides is the carcinogenic type. Which are the kinds that can cause cancer as classified by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). A study done by the EPA shows that our dependence on chemical pest control results in the use of 380 million pounds of carcinogenic pesticides being used every year in the United States (Pesticides Hazardous1). .
Many people that are in support of the use of pesticides argue, that pesticides are safe. While pesticides may be found in many products, the levels at which they are present fall far below the levels known to not cause any health effects to adults. In the most recent research done pesticides are more hazardous to children because their eating patterns are different from those of adults, children, for their size eat more pesticides on their food than adults (Pesticides Children 1).
