Carter 1

Sarah Carter

Mrs. Drumgoole

English 101

April 1, 2018

Pesticides

Pesticides are used by farmers to kill weeds and rodents, which leads to higher crop

yields. Pesticides harm the air, water, soil, plants, wildlife, and people, and have genetically

modified the plants they are sprayed on, making them more resistance to pesticides and some-

times producing their own form of resistance to weeds. More studies need to be done to prove

whether eating genetically modified foods are harmful, and people can eat organic foods and use

other methods to lower their exposure to pesticides, but the pesticides are never completely gone

and the problem is still there for the rest of the world. Humans are the ones spraying the pesti-

cides and so have a responsibility to the earth and the creatures pesticides affect. By understand-

ing how pesticides affect the world, better decisions can be made about whether pesticides are

worth using.

Pesticides are particularly dangerous if people come into direct contact with them.

Glyphosate is found in RoundUp, the most common pesticide used. Being directly exposed to

products containing glyphosate causes horrible reactions, and can be fatal if ingested. (NPIC)

Smith, a writer for Better Nutrition, writes “In 2015, the International Agency for Research on

Cancer declared glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup, a probable human carcinogen. Re-

search also suggests that glyphosate is an endocrine (or hormone) disruptor.” On top of glypho-

sate being a carcinogen, ingredients in products glyphosate is used on can make the pesticide
Carter 2

more toxic, even if standing alone glyphosate is low in toxicity and products are washed before

arriving to stores. (NPIC) The possibility of products ingredients glyphosate is sprayed on mak-

ing the chemical more toxic is especially worrying because what ingredients cause that reaction

are not common knowledge.

Pets and wildlife can also become sick from being in contact with pesticides. (NPIC)

“Animals exposed to products with glyphosate may drool, vomit, have diarrhea, lose their appe-

tite, or seem sleepy.” (NPIC) Even brushing against plants still wet from RoundUp can cause

animals to become sick. While some pets have loving owners to take care of them, wildlife are

left to fend for themselves. Pesticides have particularly affected bees, which have been dying off

since the 1990s, but took a particularly tough blow around 2013 when data revealed the average

beekeeper had lost 45% of her colonies the previous winter. (Heid) This drop in bee population

is largely due to neonicotinoids, a pesticide not harmful to humans but extremely harmful to bees

and other inspects. The pesticide Neonicotinoid has even been banned in some European coun-

tries. (Heid) Pages and pages could be written about the affects pesticides have on the environ-

ment. People have a responsibility to other creatures that share this planet- and bees in particular

not only share this planet, but one third of all food and beverages comes from crops bees polli-

nate. (Time) If humans continue on this selfish and greedy path not only may their health take a

toll, there will be no food left to be selfish and greedy about.

Eating genetically modified foods is another way people come into contact with pesti-

cides. GMOs only exist because people began spaying pesticides on their crops, but whether eat-

ing from pesticide sprayed crops is harmful is debatable. Kiplinger, a publisher based in Wash-

ington D.C., writes that a recent study involving 20 scientists reviewing 900 research publica-

tions concluded that GMOs were safe to eat. Those scientists compared the incidence of many
Carter 3

diseases, including cancer, in North America with those in Western Europe. While North Amer-

ica’s diet has included GMOs since 1996, Western Europe has always restricted their use. No

clear differences in incidences of these diseases between the two countries were found. If eating

GMOs were dangerous, more obvious signs should have popped up after more than 20 years of

consuming them. However, if you look at how pesticides affect wildlife, the environment, and

humans who come into more direct exposure to pesticides, there could still be a risk for GMOs to

do harm.

Eating organic food is one method of preventing exposure to pesticides. Smith also writes

that “Products that have the USDA Organic seal cannot, by law, contain any GMO ingredients.

They also must be produced without irradiation, sewage sludge, antibiotics, growth hormones,

synthetic chemical fertilizers, and synthetic chemical pesticides (including glyphosate), many of

which have been linked to a number of health problems, including neurologic and endocrine sys-

tem disorders, and cancer. Buying organic means supporting an environmentally beneficial food

production system that sustains the health of soils, ecosystems, and people. Plus, reviews of mul-

tiple studies indicate that organic foods are more nutritious than non-organic foods. One thing to

keep in mind, though, is that organic certification does not require testing for GMOs.” Because

organic certification does not require testing for GMOs, or in other words pesticides, it makes the

reason for making food organic void and it means we have to trust the companies who label their

products organic to be honest and about making organic products. Another label that helps peo-

ple limit pesticide exposure is the Non-GMO Verified label that won’t tell people whether the

food was sprayed with chemical pesticides but does make sure it was tested for at-risk ingredi-

ents. (Smith) However, if some at-risk ingredients haven’t been found, the labels people put on

food mean almost nothing if people want to be completely pesticide free. Weise, a writer from
Carter 4

USA Today, writes that “It is also well-documented that children who eat a predominantly or-

ganic diet have lower levels of pesticide residue in their bodies, says Marion Nestle, a professor

of nutrition at New York University in New York City.” So while people won’t be completely

pesticide free unless they grow their own food, they can still make an impact on the environment

and on their health by buying organic.

If organic foods are too expensive, there are other measures people can take to prevent

the possible harm from pesticides. The National Pesticide Information Center writes: “First, eat a

variety of fruits and vegetables to minimize the potential of increased exposure to a single pesti-

cide: Thoroughly wash all produce, even that which is labeled organic and that which you plan to

peel, wash your produce under running water rather than soaking or dunking it, dry produce with

a clean cloth towel or paper towel when possible., scrub firm fruits and vegetables, like melons

and root vegetables, discard the outer layer of leafy vegetables, such as lettuce or cabbage, peel

fruits and vegetables when possible, and trim fat and skin from meat, poultry, and fish to mini-

mize pesticide residue that may accumulate in the fat.” These guidelines are free, easy to follow,

and can greatly reduce exposure to pesticides. However, even if much of the residue left on fruits

and vegetables are washed off by the time they arrive to the store, the food still isn’t completely

pesticide free. Worse yet is that some of these foods, such as corn and soy, are being fed to the

animals people eat and there is no washing pesticides out of meat. Only by going to the source of

the problem, farmers spraying pesticides on crops, can things change.

People should take a stand and vote to place in power those who care about the issues of

pesticides affecting the world and making foods labels actually mean something, and then the

government needs to act on these issues. More research on methods that help farmers yield high
Carter 5

crops and whether eating pesticide sprayed foods does harm or not should be conducted, but peo-

ple already know the harm pesticides have on the environment and wildlife, and that alone

should be reason enough to stop using pesticides. Only by people caring, having curiosity, deter-

mination and drive to build a better future can things change.

Carter 6

Works Cited

Elizabeth, Weise. "Is Organic Always Best?." USA Today, n.d. EBSCOhost, search.ebsco-

host.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=J0E358494451510&site=ehost-live.

Heid, Markham. "You Asked: Are the Honeybees Still Disappearing?." Time.Com, 20 Apr.

2015. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?di-

rect=true&db=aph&AN=102159340&site=ehost-live

Henderson, A. M.; Gervais, J. A.; Luukinen, B.; Buhl, K.; Stone, D. 2010. Glyphosate General

Fact Sheet; National Pesticide Information Center, Oregon State University Extension

Services. http://npic.orst.edu/factsheets/glyphogen.html.

Morris, Alex. "The Bee Killers." Rolling Stone, no. 1242, 27 Aug. 2015, pp. 50-68. EBSCOhost,

search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=108890793&site=ehost-live

"Pesticides Causing Colony Collapse Disorder in Honeybees." Time.Com, 16 May 2014, p. 1.

EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?di-

rect=true&db=aph&AN=96123956&site=ehost-live.

Smith, Melissa Diane. "Organic and Non-GMO, Simplified!." Better Nutrition, vol. 79, no. 10,

Oct. 2017, pp. 72-74. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?di-

rect=true&db=aph&AN=125166874&site=ehost-live

"The Verdict on GMO Foods: Safe to Eat." Kiplinger's Personal Finance, vol. 71, no. 2, Feb.

2017, p. 71. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?di-

rect=true&db=aph&AN=120227503&site=ehost-live.