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Pesticides can enter the body through inhalation of aerosols, dust and vapor that contain pesticides; through oral exposure by consuming food/water; and through skin exposure by direct contact. [96] Pesticides secrete into soils and groundwater which can end up in drinking water, and pesticide spray can drift and pollute the air.
The Pesticide Data Program, [23] a program started by the United States Department of Agriculture is the largest tester of pesticide residues on food sold in the United States. It began in 1991 and tests food for the presence of various pesticides and if they exceed EPA tolerance levels for samples collected close to the point of consumption.
Aerial application (crop dusting) of pesticides over a soybean field in the U.S. Pesticides are widely used by farmers to control plant pests and enhance production, but chemical pesticides can also cause water quality problems. Pesticides may appear in surface water due to: direct application (e.g. aerial spraying or broadcasting over water ...
A wide range of pollutants negatively impact wildlife health. For some pollutants, simple exposure is enough to do damage (e.g. pesticides). For others, its through inhaling (e.g. air pollutants) or ingesting it (e.g. toxic metals). Pollutants affect different species in different ways so a pollutant that is bad for one might not affect another.
Furthermore, biopesticides often suffer the same negative impacts as synthetic pesticides. [14] In the United States, biopesticides are subject to fewer environmental regulations. Many biopesticides are permitted under the National Organic Program , United States Department of Agriculture , standards for organic crop production.
The unintended consequences of pesticides is one of the main drivers of the negative impact of modern industrial agriculture on the environment. Pesticides, because they are toxic chemicals meant to kill pest species, can affect non-target species, such as plants, animals and humans.
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In 1962, The New Yorker published a series of essays by Rachel Carson, later published in book form as Silent Spring, that publicized the negative effects of pesticide use on wildlife. [15] This, along with new evidence that pesticides could have negative impacts on human health, helped spur the creation of the modern environmental movement. [1]