INTRODUCTION

According to United States Environmental Protection Agency, pesticide is a chemical

used to prevent, destroy, or repel pests. Pests can be insects, mice and other animals, weeds,
fungi, or microorganisms such as bacteria and viruses. Some examples of pests are termites
causing damage to our homes, dandelions in the lawn, and fleas on our dogs and cats. Pesticides
also are used to kill organisms that can cause diseases.
Pesticides are toxic substances that released intentionally into the environment to kill
living things. This includes substances that kill weeds (herbicides), insects (insecticides), fungus
(fungicides), rodents (rodenticides) and others. Chemical pesticides have been used in
developing nations in their efforts to eradicate insect-borne, to produce adequate food and to
protect forests, plantations and fiber such as wood, cotton, clothing and others.
Pesticides are ubiquitios in the environment. People use them in home, school, forest,
road and the most in agricultural field. The greatest use of pesticides in the UK is in
agriculture. Over 31,000 tones of pesticide active ingredient were applied to agricultural land in
2004 and their dependence on chemicals is increasing, despite rising sales of organic produce.
There has been increased reliance on chemical pesticides that give more benefits to them.
Capable of growing two or three crops per year, exporting nontraditional agricultural produce to
regions having colder climates and shorter growing seasons earning much needed international
trade credits.
Many developing countries are importing industrial processes that make use of toxic
chemicals, pesticides, which are used increasingly in agriculture and in public health programs to
control pests and vectorborne diseases. Inexpensive chemicals are used extensively in
developing nations, creating serious acute health problems and global environmental
contamination. No one is aware of the extent of pesticide residue contamination adverse health
effects on consumers in long-term period.

Excessive use of pesticides also has increased negative externalities. Effects of pesticides
can be seen through human, damage to agricultural land, fisheries, impact on environment and

ecosystem. Insecticides that can be neurotoxin to humans represent the greatest proportion of
pesticides used in developing countries because of their relatively cheaper cost. Pesticides
produce many physiological and biochemical changes in freshwater organisms by influencing the
activities of several enzymes. Alterations in the chemical composition of the natural aquatic
environment usually affect behavioral and physiological systems of the inhabitants, particularly
those of the fish.
There is a lack of rigorous legislation and regulations to control pesticides as well as
training programs for personnel to inspect and monitor use and to initiate training programs for
pesticide consumers. We need to make our food, air, water, and soil free from toxic chemicals.
Organically grown foods and sustainable methods of pest control are key to our families health
and the health of the environment.

USE OF PESTICIDES
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In 1940, the synthetic pesticides have been use for the first time. Pesticides are use in
different setting such as agricultural, veterinary, domestic and institutional. Most pesticides are
use in agriculture. The use of pesticides has risen in developing countries that use on crops
grown for export. These are some common types of pesticides and their purposes.
Type of Pesticides
Herbicides
Insecticides
Fungicides
Rodenticides
Repellents
Fumigants

Purposes
Kill weeds
Kill insects and other arthropods
Kill fungi including blights, mildews, molds
and rusts.
Control mice and other rodents
Repel pests, including insects such as
mosquitoes and birds
Produce gas or vapor intended to destroy pests
in the house or in the ground.

The majority pesticides used in developed countries are herbicides that can be as toxic as
insecticides such as paraquat, atrazine and simazine. Some chemical classes in the various
groups of pesticides:
1. Herbicides- carbamates, phenoxyacetic acids, triazines, phenylureas
2. Insecticides- organophosphates, carbamates, organochlorines, pyrethrins,
pyrethroids
3. Fungicides- dithiocarbamates, copper, mercurials
Although developing countries use only 25% of the pesticides produced worldwide, they
experience 99% of the deaths. This is because use of pesticides tends to be more intense and
unsafe, and regulatory, health and education systems are weaker in developing countries.

EFFECTS OF PESTICIDES
1.

HUMAN HEALTH
Human is more expose to hazard that linked to pesticides especially the farmers in

developing countries. Farmers in developing countries use more insecticides and use more
frequently. Pesticides can affect the farmers health by:
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 The protective gear worn by farmers is inadequate or poorly maintained. This is due to
their inability to purchase standard protective gear.
There are no regulations that require the use of protective gear during the use of pesticides.
Farmers often spray pesticides on a regular basis and in warm tropical heat thus increasing
the incidence and severity of health effects.
Many farmers cannot understand instructions printed even in their own language, training
and pesticide regulations in the use of pesticides lead to accidents, haphazard application
and over-use.
Access to medical treatment is limited and most farmers rely on homemade remedies thus
increasing the severity and duration of illnesses.
There are two categories of health effects of pesticide exposure. Acute exposure refers to
an intense exposure over a short period for instance, a child sitting in the room during a spraying.
Low dose and long-term exposure is exposure that occurs over a period.

o
o
o
o
o
o

Acute exposure
Headaches
Dizziness
Muscle twitching
Weakness
Tingling Sensations
Nausea

o
o
o
o
o

Long-term exposure
Birth defects
Learning disabilities
Behavioral changes
Organ damage
Forms of cancer, including leukemia,

breast cancer, and brain tumors

o Asthma symptoms
There is growing concern about children's exposure to pesticides and their special

susceptibility. Children are not little adults, and may have higher exposures and greater
vulnerability at both high and low levels of exposure. Childrens nervous, immune, digestive and
other systems are still developing. Developing systems are less able to detoxify and excrete these
pollutants compared to adults. Children's systems provide less natural protection than adults do.
Children breathe in more air than adult do, inhaling almost 2 times as many pollutants get into
their lung.

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Children are particularly susceptible to the hazards associated with pesticide use. The
human brain is not fully form until the age of 12, and childhood exposure to some of the most
common pesticides on the market may greatly influence the development of the central nervous
system.

2. ENVIRONMENT
Pesticides are toxic chemicals that are specially designed to be deliberately released into
the environment. Despite the release of a pesticide to kill a pest, it is not necessarily material not
hovering in the environment. Even very large percentages of the pesticide spray type to spread to
another area. This poison can spread through air, water, sediments, which eventually ended up in
our food through many stages. Pesticides can easily contaminate the air, ground and water when

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they run off from fields, escape storage tanks, are not discarded properly and especially when
they are sprayed aerially.
Soil
General reduction in soil biodiversity is caused by pesticide use against him. If there are
no chemicals in the soil, we can obtain high quality soil which in turn allows for higher
water retention. This condition is necessary for the development of plants that are
grown on the land.
Water
Pesticides can be found in the rain, groundwater, rivers, lakes and the ocean. There are
four main ways that allow the pesticide to reach the water. First, drift out of the area
where it had been sprayed, leach through the soil and runoff, or it can be accidentally
spilled.
Plants
Nitrogen, which is a gas that is needed by large plants, can be prevented by the
presence of pesticides in the soil. This can lead to a substantial drop to the crop.
Application of pesticides to crops that bloom can kill honeybee, which acts as
pollinators. This has created a reduction in the rate of pollination of crops and the
resulting implications for breeding as well.

Animals
Pesticide residues found in food can cause animals to poison when they consumed the
food after it has been sprayed. An application of pesticides can result in the elimination
of food sources for a certain species of animal. This can cause them to change their diet,
move from one place to another place and die of starvation. Poisoning due to pesticides
can affect food chains that are there in the area. For example, birds exposed to danger
when they eat worms and insects that have ingested pesticides.
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Birds
There is evidence that the bird was being destroyed by the use of pesticides. Rachel
Carson's book Silent Spring was discussing about the loss of some species of birds
caused by the accumulation of pesticides found in the cell tissues. Several fungicides
are widely used in agriculture only produces toxic at a minimum rate of birds and
mammals, but can actually cause death and earthworm populations declined
dramatically. Another way is that's affect is that there are some pesticides that come in
granular form, birds and other wildlife may eat the granules, mistaking them for grains
of food. Some seed granules of pesticide source are enough to kill a small bird.
Herbicides may also endanger bird populations by reducing their habitat.
Aquatic life
Fish and other aquatic life can be damaged by water that has been contaminated due to
this pesticide. Application of herbicides to bodies of water can cause plants to die,
diminishing the water's oxygen and suffocating the fish. Nest abandonment, reduction
of immunity to the disease and also the failure to avoid predators are examples of
physiological and behavioral changes in the fish caused by the exposure to pesticides
over time.

SAFE USE OF PESTICIDES

1) Safe Use and Storage of Pesticides
Extra precaution must be taken in choosing insecticides and deciding when, how, and for
how long to apply them.
Pesticides and the spray machines should never be transported in vehicles that also
transported food.
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 They must be stored in locked and ventilated buildings

2) Safe Storage and Disposal of Used Insecticide Containers
Strict guidelines must be followed when handling insecticides and other related
equipment.
To ensure that the displaced community, the children who lacks of toys, cannot obtain
used pesticides containers.
3) Safety of the Spray Staff: Recruitment usually for sprayers who:

Have had prior training on the safe use of pesticides

Have protective clothing (uniforms, gloves, masks, etc)
Never smoke, drink, or eat during the job
Have to wash the facilities after the job is done

It is rare to find the sprayers that followed all of the conditions. So appropriate training,
protective personal equipment and washing facilities should be provided. Guidelines on
safety training medical surveillance, diagnosis and treatment of insecticide poisoning are
available from the World Health Organization (WHO)III
III

WHO Pesticides Evaluation Scheme

20 Avenue Appia
CH-1211 Geneva 27
Switzerland

THE SOLUTIONS TO PESTICIDES

We need to ensure that our food, air, water and land are free from any foreign chemicals
like the chemical emissions from pesticides. The true solution to the problem of pests and weeds
is by environmental friendly method, which is toxic free, and culture of agriculture itself.
Organically grown foods and sustainable methods of pest control are the key to our families
health and the health of the environment.

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1. Better testing
State agencies as well as federal agencies have to tighten independent testing as well
as testing the synergistic effect caused by the release of toxic pesticides. Removal of
pesticides that can cause health problems should be conducted immediately so that the
problem is not widespread among farmers and also the public.
2. Protect our children
Pesticides should be prohibited in places where the children lives and play. This
includes the schools, parks and the playground. Public should concern this as they are
the most vulnerable population to pesticides. The government and the other parties
should take action by ensuring that those places have a strict non toxic pest
management.
3. Pesticide use reduction
Use non-toxic pesticides are some other alternatives that may be available to farmers,
local governments, businesses and homeowners. This method is called the technical
assistance. This includes alternative to nuisance mosquito sprays and other pest
problems.
4. Right to know
Provide free and universal notification to residents about pesticide use, including who
is using chemicals, where, when, how, what pesticides are being used, and why.

5. Prohibit pollution of our water and poisoning of our communities

Ensure that aerial pesticide use does not pollute our waterways through strict rules
governing spraying and buffer zones that prevent the harmful effects of drift. Prohibit
the use of pesticides for purely aesthetic reasons. Prevent pesticide applications to
water bodies, instead using non-chemical methods of managing aquatic invasive
weeds.
6. Protect workers
The prevention of acute and chronic pesticide can be done by providing protection to
workers as well as the farmers
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CASE STUDIES
Organochlorine pesticide residues in rice paddies in Malaysia, 1981 in Sungai Kerian,
Perak (water).
The objective of this study is to determine the indigenous concentrations of
organochlorine pesticides in the paddy fish, sediments and water. The cultivation of fish in paddy
fields has proven to be highly productive. Fish enhance rice yield through predation of insect
pests, reduce aquatic vascular plant and algal growth also add nutrients through deposition of
fecal matter. The continued use of pesticides in paddy fields can destroy the ecological
relationship between rice and fish and harmful to the consumers. As the result, the residue levels
in water were the lowest and aldrin (insecticide) was highly observed in sediments from all
sampling sites. The residues found in sediments were similar in composition to those in fish. The
highest average concentrations were dieldrin (4.7ng/g), chlordane (6.6ng/g), HCH (-8.2ng/g and
-3.5ng/g) and aldrin (1.1ng/g). The higher contamination was attributed to the fishes in
Tg.Piandang long residence time in the polluted environment. The rice paddy farmers at this area
would be at some health risk. The lack of knowledge on actual concentrations of common
pesticides residues in Malaysian rice paddy fishes by agencies (Department of Agriculture and
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Fisheries) prevent the dissemination of vital information to the population at risk. The
governmental was recommended to sponsor monitoring program be established within the
districts of Malaysia that would have the responsibility of determining the actual concentration
of common pesticides not only in the fish but also in the rice and other foods. Health risk
assessment should be calculated and the results should be made available to the population at
risk.

CONCLUSION
Nowadays, the usage of pesticides is worldwide. When a product is said to contain
chemicals, so it would have any side effects either it is long or short. There are lots of effects of
the pesticides. The need to consider all important pesticide sources and landscape parameters
when assessing the effects of pesticide contamination on macro invertebrate communities. The
manner in which pesticides reduce pest infestations and how chemical control creates
disequilibrium in the agricultural system was shown graphically. Not only does the control of
pests become unsustainable, but it also extracts an environmental penalty.

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REFERENCES
1. WEBSITE:
o http://www.epa.gov/kidshometour/pest.htm retrieve on 26 of April 2014 at 9.00 pm

2. ARTICLE:
o National Resource Council. Pesticides in the diets of infants and children. National
Academy Press, Washington, DC, 1993

3. BOOKS:
o Marie Lazzari, Environmental Viewpoint, Selected Essays and Excerpts on
Environmental Issues, Volume 2, published simultaneously in the United Kingdom
by Gale Research International Limited.
o Chemistry of The Environment
o Williams M. Weiss and et.al, The John Hopkins And Red Cross Red Crescent,
Public Health Guide In Emergencies, Second Edition 2008, Johns Hopkins

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Bloomberg School of Public Health and the International Federation of Red Cross
and Red Crescent Societies.
o Des W.Connell, Basic concepts of Environmental Chemistry, Second edition,
published in 2005 by CRC Press Taylor & Francis Group, 6000 Broken Sound
Parkway NW, Suite 300, Boca Raton, FL 33487-2742.
o Rachel Carson, Linda Lear, Silent Spring, First Mariner Books edition 2002,
Houghton Mifflin Company; Anniversary edition (October 22, 2002), ISBN10: 0618249060, ISBN-13: 978-0618249060

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