Question

collect information about reason for avoiding the use of chemical pesticides ​

Answer 1

Answer:

ask small questions..

Answer 2

Answer:

There are many chemicals on the market used in urban pest control and their potential for toxicity varies from low to those that could be carcinogenic, endocrine disrupting, have potential for reproductive & developmental toxicity and/or impact the nervous system depending on the action of the pesticide and the level of exposure. Obviously some pesticides are more toxic than others, which is why vigilance about use, and understanding the toxicity issues helps with independent decision making when it comes to pest management

1. Research shows that even low levels of exposure to organophosphates can cause lasting damage to neurological and cognitive functioning Organophosphates (OP), derived from World War II nerve gas agents, are now one of the most widely used insecticides in the world.  These chemicals are marketed in many forms. The OP known as chlorpirifos is approved for use in urban pest control as a termiticide, and is sometimes used in broad spectrum applications for ants, cockroaches and spiders. Chlorpirifos was in the news recently when the US EPA made its controversial decision not to ban the chemical contrary to recommendations from its staff. This is one of the chemicals to keep an eye out for when checking the MSDS (Material safety data sheet) that your pest control company can show you upon request (if it’s listed, ask for a safer alternative).

2,Children are at a higher risk of a range of developmental issues and childhood cancers when exposed to pesticides There is no clearer message about the effects of pesticides on children than in this letter from The American Academy of Paediatrics to the Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt, in response to the the EPA’s recent decision not to go ahead with the banning of chlorpyrifos, an organophosphate manufactured by Dow.

3,Chemical safety testing is conducted on individual active ingredients rather than the mixture of chemicals we are exposed to.

Pesticides are used as mixtures called formulations. They contain adjuvants, which are often kept confidential and are called inerts by the manufacturing companies, plus a declared active principle, which is usually tested alone. A 2013 study in France3 tested the toxicity of 9 pesticide formulations, comparing active principles and their formulations, on three human cell lines. The study tested the cells at dilutions lower than those recommended by manufacturers and found that 8 out of 9 were up to one thousand times more toxic than their active principles. The study results challenge the relevance of the acceptable daily intake for pesticides because this norm is calculated from the toxicity of the active principle alone, concluding that current tests on pesticides may not reflect relevant environmental exposures if only one ingredient of these mixtures is tested alone.

4.Long term impacts of pesticides are often not evident until decades after they have been approved for the market.

The story of the US reversal of the decision to ban chlypirifos is an example of the powers that can influence safe standards, leading to time lags of decades between when a chemical is showing signs of being unsafe to when it is finally taken off the market.

If we are to learn anything from history it is that being vigilant is an important way to keep authorities regulating to safe standards, and applying the lessons sooner rather than later.