Environmental Toxins
Gia Merlo, Kathy Berra in Lifestyle Nursing, 2023
A pesticide is a broad term used to describe a substance used to destroy insects or other organisms deemed harmful to cultivated plants. Pesticides can include herbicides, which help destroy weeds; insecticides, for controlling the insect population; and fungicides, which prevent the growth of molds and mildew. Because pesticides are often used in agriculture, humans are exposed to chemicals from pesticides in the food supply (National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, 2021). Some individuals, such as those who work on farms, are exposed to pesticides during the course of their daily work—through skin and mucous membrane exposure. Organic farming systems allow use of some biologically based pesticides that have not been shown to have the same problematic health effects as chemical-based pesticides (Benbrook & Davis, 2020).
The Fabricated Organic Food Market
David Lightsey in The Myths about Nutrition Science, 2019
Hopefully, you now understand that: A pesticide is a chemical, nothing more, and as with all chemicals, including vitamins and minerals, water, etc., it is the dose that makes the poison not the chemical—the Principle of Toxicology.Chemicals allow us to feed a growing population with increasingly less agricultural land to produce it on.Chemicals allow for far more people to consume healthy foods which will diminish their cancer risks vs. increasing it.Chemicals are an integral part of the safe and productive food supply process.The produce’s vitamin content you choose to consume is related to the genetics of the plant, and the mineral content is related to the composition of the soil it was grown in, regardless if it was conventionally grown or organically grown.Pesticides and related chemicals are an integral part of being responsible stewards of the Earth.
Reproductive Disorders Associated with Pesticide Exposure
Ana Maria Osorio, Lynn R. Goldman in Proceedings from the Medical Workshop on Pesticide-Related Illnesses from the International Conference on Pesticide Exposure and Health, 2017
Counseling patients who are concerned about reproductive and developmental effects of pesticides often involves helping them weigh risks and benefits. There are situations when the benefits outweigh the risks of using a pesticide that can slightly increase the chance of a reproductive or developmental problem. A good example is using permethrin-treated bed nets to prevent malaria.57 Similarly, applying a repellent containing DEET during pregnancy may be warranted when a woman cannot avoid contact with mosquitoes carrying a serious disease. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that pregnant women at risk for contracting a major mosquito-borne disease should limit time in the out of doors and use protective clothing. Pregnant women, as with other adults, should apply an insect repellent containing DEET, but use it sparingly. During pregnancy, DEET should only be used when outdoors, and the repellent should be washed off with soap and water after coming indoors.
Monitoring of pesticides residues in soil samples from the southern districts of Jordan in 2016/2017
Published in Toxin Reviews, 2021
Mohammed H. Kailani, Tawfiq M. Al-Antary, Mahmoud A. Alawi
However, pesticides found in the soil of the five districts of Jordan act as common contaminants in the surrounding environment and on non-target vegetation. They can harm plants and animals ranging from beneficial soil microorganisms and insects, non-target plants and birds, and other wildlife. Several workers (Iyaniwura 1991, Al-Antary 1996) reported that pesticide residues in soil, in addition to eliminating or reducing parasitic microbes, are also toxic to the non-parasitic and ecologically useful soil microbial and vertebrate population. Pesticides may reduce certain microorganism populations while they stimulate the growth of others, especially the saprophytic and spore-forming types. Soil chemical properties may also be altered by the accumulation of residual pesticides and their metabolites (Iyaniwura 1991).
Degradation of phosalone by silver ion catalytic hydrolysis
Published in Toxicology Mechanisms and Methods, 2021
Jalal Hassan, Roya Kamrani, Hadi Tabarraei, Fardad Pirri, Mohammad Rezaian Nojani, A. Wallace Hayes
Pesticides are used to control pests, including weeds. Insects, weeds, and plant diseases are responsible for about 40% of the overall damage in agriculture; therefore, the application of pesticides to ameliorate such damage is currently used to improve crop yield necessary to fed an ever-growing world population. In general, a pesticide deters, incapacitates, kills, or otherwise discourages pests. The most widely used pesticides are herbicides which account for approximately 80% of total pesticide usage. Along with these benefits, pesticides, which are biologically active compounds, may cause toxicity to nontarget species including humans and other species in the environment. The organophosphates (phosphate esters, or OPs) are one of the most commonly used classes of insecticides. It is estimated that more than 2 million tons of OPs are utilizing annually for agricultural purposes globally (Paoletti and Pimentel 2000). Malathion, parathion, chlorpyrifos, diazinon, and phosalone are examples of OP pesticides. OPs are neurotoxic agents that inhibit acetylcholinesterase, a vital enzyme for nervous system transmission (Sharma et al. 2019).
Spatial distribution of total and bioavailable heavy metal contents in soil from agricultural, residential, and industrial areas in Sudan
Published in Toxin Reviews, 2019
Mohammed A. Ashaiekh, Mohamed A. H. Eltayeb, Ali H. Ali, Ammar M. Ebrahim, Isam Salih, Abubakr M. Idris
As shown in Figure 1, soil samples were collected from three areas in Sudan as follows: (i) Alhasahisa city and the rural areas in the Aljazeera State, (ii) Aljazeera Scheme and around areas in the Aljazeera State, and (iii) Marawi city and some rural areas in the Northern State. The first and second areas include agricultural, industrial, and urban activities while the third area includes agriculture and urban activities. Since the establishment of Algazera scheme in 1925, chemicals have being intensively used for different agricultural processes. Farmers there extensively use fertilizers and practice pesticide treatment and sewage sludge input. All industries in the first and second areas are light (textile, food, workshops, etc.) and there is no metal-ferrous industry. For agricultural activities, the irrigation system in Marawi region depends on water pumps, which are operated by gasoline fuel, while the irrigation systems in Alhasahisa and Maringan depend mainly on canals and land slope. However, farmers in Marawi area most probably practice organic manure. Due to urban expansion, agricultural, industrial, and domestic areas have become overlapping with each other.
Related Knowledge Centers
- Fungicide
- Insecticide
- Rodenticide
- Herbicide
- Nematicide
- Piscicide
- Avicide
- Insect Repellent
- Animal Repellent
- Antimicrobial