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Pesticides People usually refer to pesticides as to insecticides, as they are being used on the large scale in our everyday life. Yet, this term also embraces fungicides, herbicides and many other substances that are used as means of controlling pests. US law also considers a pesticide any substance of chemical or biological nature, intended to regulate plants growth. Pests are those organisms that damage crops, there are a variety of them and they represent a real hazard to the normal functioning of agriculture.
The only way to effectively deal with insects, mice, fungi and various bacteria and microorganisms is applying a pesticide. There is a lot of controversy surrounds the usage of pesticides now these days, many environmentalist groups in Western countries are strongly opposed to pesticides, rightly considering them as such that can also cause harm to humans. It goes without saying that substances, intended to destroy living organisms can also pose a threat to people. The chemical residue on fruits and plants that we eat can never be effectively rid off. We can only talk of reducing its amount.
According to National Academy of Sciences it is normal to have little amount of chemical residue to remaining on treated fruits and vegetables, yet there are regulations that oblige pesticide manufacturers to prove that there wont be any harm caused to peoples health if some of the pesticide residue gets into their bodies. As a mean of protecting consumers, the government has set a normal amount of pesticide residue that is acceptable to be ingested on daily basis, without causing people to become ill. A numerous toxicological tests are being conducted in chemical laboratories on animals, to determine what effects of exposure to certain chemicals would have on people. Every pesticide, which is used in our agriculture, must be certified. There is a so-called Acceptable Daily Intake, set by government for every chemical and under no circumstances farmers can overdose the amount of pesticides, used on their crops. Failure to do this will result in heavy penalties or jail sentences.
Our government went a great length, insuring public safety, when it comes to using pesticides in agriculture. Yet, there are many environmentalist groups in our society that demand banning pesticides altogether. Yet, this would cause an immediate collapse of agriculture. The Earth population will reach 8 billions by year 2020 and this will put a big strain on agriculture the way it is.
It doesnt take a scientist to figure out that failing to effectively deal with pests will cause in nothing else but in widely spread famine. The environmental utopias do not like to think of such scenario, yet it is very likely to happen if were to reconsider our present pesticides usage policies. In my opinion, it is way too early to raise the alarm over alleged pesticides hazard. It is a truth that we talk of some poison being consumed every day.
Yet, our organism gets used to poison, while being exposed to it in small doses, so in the matter of time we become immune, more or less, to that particular poison. According to recent surveys, Americans live 5 - 6 years longer on average, comparing to even 30 years ago, although pesticides play much bigger role in our agriculture these days. There are biologically based pesticides that are comparatively safe, such as pheromones and microbial pesticides that become increasingly popular with farmers. In many cases there are even better results can be achieved with a help of such substances, while fighting pests. But it appears that biologically based pesticides cannot be used universally, like chemical substances. Since there is no real alternative to old-fashioned ways of dealing with pests, we cant talk of chemically based pesticides being replaced with something less harmful but just as effective.
Yet, there is no reason to worry a lot, like many environmentally minded people do. After all, they have their organically grown fruits and vegetables. What they fail to understand is the food is not a fashion but a mean of survival, especially in underdeveloped countries. Using pesticides enables agriculture to function effectively, thus providing food to great many people. We need to think of these chemicals as friend - not as enemy, if we to adopt a realistic outlook on this issue. Bibliography: OBrien, Colleen.
Pesticides on your plate. web 1. 10. 04. Samo, Wolfgang. Pesticides and Agriculture: Industry Perspective.
web 1. 10. 04. 3. Real Scientists Debunk Organic Myths. web 2. 10. 04
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Research essay sample on Biologically Based Pesticides Web 1 10 04 Agriculture
