What are the reasons for avoiding the use of chemical pesticides?
Answers
when you apply chemical pest control agents, you aren’t just adding them to your crops. You are adding them into the environment. There are many different types of chemical pest control agents. However, no matter their mode of action, rate of decay, or range of toxicity, the environment is always better off without them if possible. This is mostly because they can harm non-target species either directly or through biomagnification through the food chain.
Even government agencies trying to control invasive species have to be careful with their pesticide usage. Pesticides aren’t free, you need a certain amount in order to be effective, and too much can have undesirable consequences. Sometimes there isn’t any viable alternative, but chemical pest control is best kept as a last resort.
Answer:
Explanation:
Chemical pesticides are known to pollute the environment. While their intended effects are often short-lived, studies have shown that chemical pesticides linger in the atmosphere, the ground and in our waterways long after the job is over. Chemicals have been used on fields across the world for almost 100 years, creating a buildup of adverse pollution in our environment, which continues to grow with every application.
Unfortunately, when pesticides are applied onto a surface, they travel outside their intended area of use by air, soil or water. This is one common way in which chemical pesticides cause collateral damage, beyond their intended use. The Agricultural MU Guide, Pesticides and the Environment, explains that "for certain pesticides to be effective, they must move within the soil…too much movement can transfer a pesticide away from the target pest. This can lead to reduced pest control, contamination of surface water and groundwater and injury of non-target species, including humans."
Organizations like the Organic Material Review Institute (OMRI) have been taking strides in recent years to develop standards for these alternative products. The private nonprofit group is in charge of determining whether a product, such as a repellent, may qualify as organic. Unlike chemical pesticides, each approved organic product must pass a set of rigorous standards to comply with USDA organic regulations. The criteria for these organic-certified products are put in place to reduce negative effects to people, animals, and the environment.
While all types of pesticides are known to travel, organic products are less harmful in composition, thus minimizing or even eliminating residual damage. Supporting the use of food-based organic repellents (e.g. putrescent eggs, capsaicin) will help eliminate potentially harmful chemical pesticides from the marketplace, and ultimately from the food we consume.