Pesticides, which consist of insecticides, fumigants, herbicides, and rodenticides, play an essential role in public health, aesthetics, and production of food. Living systems are impacted by pesticides which makes them unique from other chemicals. However, pesticides have been associated with human and environmental issues due to their widespread use. The use of pesticides has been increasing over decades mostly in developing countries. In production and application of pesticides, there is human occupational exposure, but through food supplies, contaminated water and food chain (through the food chain), a more significant population can be exposed (Blair et al., 2014). Likewise, elimination of nuisance pests and vector control using pesticides can be considered to be the positive aspect of exposure. On the other hand, growth hormones influence human health adversely and negatively depending on various factors. The use of pesticides has been an important discovery which is being used as resource in meeting human needs, but it has also contributed to health and environmental complications which are increasing daily.
Effects of Pesticides on the Human Body
The explanation of how harmful pesticides can turn out to be is not yet given, but the answer will depend on which health effects and chemicals are being considered. Pesticides contain active ingredients and also ‘inert’ chemicals such as preservatives, solvents, and surfactants which can contain toxic actions which are different from the active ingredients (Blair et al., 2014). In addition to the ‘inert,’ the production process can add some contaminants. Dioxin, for instance, is a production contaminant from phenoxy-acetic acid herbicides which has been identified as carcinogenic. Some few case reports from different parts of the world provide evidence that both non-occupation and occupation acute pesticide poisoning, leading to fatal effects have been increasing recently.
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Experimental and epidemiology research gives evidence for effects of carcinogens present in herbicides. Prostate cancer, lung cancer, hematopoietic and lymphatic system cancers are the cases which are mostly associated with epidemiological research. Exposure to pesticides has also been linked to childhood cancer (Blair et al., 2014). In addition to cancer, pesticides are believed to cause other chronic health effects. Different chemical classes present in pesticides affect the nervous system. In most of the research done on pesticides effects on human health, evidence show that pesticides contribute to diseases such as obesity, hearing loss, diabetes and respiratory diseases (Blair et al., 2014). Many developing countries are doing less in controlling pesticide usage.
Environmental Effects of Pesticides
Agricultural practices use most of the pesticides which are used in pest control. Pesticides are also used in controlling unwanted plants, gardens, parks, and ornamental landscaping. They are also used in prevention of bacteria, fungi, pests, and insect proliferation. Pesticides are made to be toxic to a specific group of organisms, but they have adverse effects on the environment, insects, soil, water, and air. Adrin, dieldrin, and chlordane are examples of pesticides that comprise of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) which repel degradation lasting in the environment for long. 95% of pesticides applied are capable of affecting non-target organisms and also disperse widely in the environment (Kim, Kabir, and Jahan, 2017).
Post-application volatilization and pesticide drift can cause airborne pollution. Pesticides used in indoor environments can be spread by air currents that are caused by the heating, ventilation system and cooling (Kim, Kabir, and Jahan, 2017). Exposure of pesticides to humans can occur directly from the household, occupational and agricultural use to transferring directly through diets. Food chains, soil, water, air, flora, and fauna are the primary agents that expose pesticides to humans. Human bloodstreams distribute pesticides throughout the body, but they are defecated though skins, urine or exhaled air. Dermal, respiratory pathways, eye and oral are the common ways pesticides find their way to bloodstreams.
Growth Hormones Risk Assessment
Antibiotics and hormonal substances are some of the growth promoters used legally and illegally for growth promotion of producing livestock animals. Increased use of pesticides within the environment increases the chances of animals consuming residual pesticides agents. Most of these substances are capable of causing health impacts on humans. Creating awareness on risks associated with growth promoters is vital for making programs and regulatory decisions that govern their use. The dominance of organisms producing toxin and the feed nutrients sparing by bacterial agents contribute to growth-promoting effect (Jeong et al., 2010). Suppression of organisms causing diseases and also the toxin producers within the animal’s environment, clinical and subclinical incidence can be reduced which will promote animal performance. The antibiotics nutrients sparing effect emerge from intestinal organisms’ growth enhancement that synthesizes animal nutrients. Considering hazard characterization, risk characterization, hazard identification, and exposure assessment, scientific evidence is gathered and used in protecting public health (Jeong et al., 2010). There have been recent risk assessments on some hormonal substances which include melengestrol acerate (MGA), progesterone, trenbolone, and testosterone, and the results show that natural steroids hormones pose negligible effects on human health when applied under efficient veterinary practices.
Need for Agricultural Concept Changes
The agricultural sector has been affected by rapid industrialization, affecting the ecosystem by increasing the chemical burden. Trials to control the effect of these chemicals are being applied, but the limits set can underestimate the health risks posed by these chemicals. Therefore, there is a need for a critical approach that can reduce the application of these pesticides and discovery and implementation of practices that are sustainable. The new methods must be environmentally friendly and with minimal chances of putting public health in danger. Among the factors to be considered include application of agrochemicals only when necessary, and also the soil and crop spatiotemporal variability factors (Nicolopoulou-Stamati et al., 2016). These variables include soil, yield, crop, and field variability. Some technological systems that can help include global positioning systems, sensors, and geographical information systems. The current agricultural industrialization has contributed to a series of problems which include environmental, social and economic challenges that are hard to manage for locals’ population especially in developing countries (Nicolopoulou-Stamati et al., 2016).The traditional agricultural companies are being absorbed by the modern agrochemical companies, a process that is leading to an agricultural model that is more industrialized, leaving small producers and small farmers to face the consequences.
In conclusion, although a lot of projects have been started to try and solve the issue of food security, exposure to pesticides require more in-depth research. Use of substances that contain carcinogenic effects will probably cause more health effects. There is need for a new agricultural approach, considering the environmental and health effects posed by pesticides. Development of pesticide-free zones, achieving urban green spaces is easy. The new approach should be able to come up with policies that protect consumer health. The process of transformation seems challenging, but it is necessary. More research should be carried out to identify the stimulators of growth hormones.
References
Blair, A., Ritz, B., Wesseling, C., & Freeman, L. B. (2014). Pesticides and human health. Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 72(2), 81–82. doi: 10.1136/oemed2014-102454
Jeong, S.-H., Kang, D.-J., Lim, M.-W., Kang, C.-S., & Sung, H.-J. (2010). Risk Assessment of Growth Hormones and Antimicrobial Residues in Meat. Toxicological Research, 26(4), 301–313. doi: 10.5487/tr.2010.26.4.301
Kim, K.-H., Kabir, E., & Jahan, S. A. (2017). Exposure to pesticides and the associated human health effects. Science of The Total Environment, 575, 525–535. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2016.09.009
Nicolopoulou-Stamati, P., Maipas, S., Kotampasi, C., Stamatis, P., & Hens, L. (2016). Chemical Pesticides and Human Health: The Urgent Need for a New Concept in Agriculture. Frontiers in Public Health, 4, 148. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2016.00148
