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Effects Of Insecticides: DDT And Mercury
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Published: June 4, 2007
For most people the coming of springtime means warmer weather, barbecues, beaches, and picnics. But for others, spring equals bugs, pests ,and need for industrial-strength insecticides. Before heading to the local home improvement store, it is important to know exactly what is being sprayed on a garden, as many chemicals found in common insecticides have had detrimental effects on the environment.
Insecticides are substances used to kill insects and pests that infest farmers' crops and also to destroy disease-carrying insects from specific areas. Insecticides are classified into five main groups: systemic, contact, natural, organic and inorganic. Use of insecticides in the United States dates back to the 1860s when it was used to stop the spread of malaria, but it wasn't until a century later when they became the target of worldwide criticism. Those opposed to the use of insecticides claimed they damaged ecological systems, poisoned people and organisms, and generally harmed the environment. In response to this criticism, legislation such as the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act of was enacted to control the sale and distribution of certain insecticides.
In recent years, scientists have aimed to develop safer insecticides to replace the toxic and harmful chemicals that have altered our ecosystem. Dichloro-Diphenyl-Trichloroethane, or DDT, is one such chemical developed to replace lead and arsenic-based insecticides which have devastated some plant populations. Developed during World War II, DDT was an effective agent in destroying mosquitoes carrying malaria, typhus, and other insect-borne illnesses in humans and agriculture.
Studies have shown the use of DDT to have many adverse effects against the environment including the decreased populations of ospreys, eagles, and even some tree populations. This discovery led to the passage of the Stockholm Convention in 1995, which instituted the widespread ban of this harmful chemical in most developed countries. However, DDT is still used today in some tropical countries where malaria and typhus continue to be serious health issues.
Mercury, a naturally-occurring element, is another metal used in compounds as an insecticide that has had unfavorable effects on the environment. Mercury can enter the environment in many ways, namely through the air near manufacturing plants and through fish whose tissue have built up with mercury. Humans exposed to mercury can develop damage to the brain and kidneys as well as damage the fetus of a pregnant woman.
A 2005 study conducted by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and the National Cancer Institute found that farmers who used agricultural insecticides suffered neurological and physical effects even after they stopped using the chemicals. Over 18,000 farmers from North Carolina and Iowa suffered from nausea, fatigue, numbness, and other neurological effects. DDT was one of the toxins known to have caused these symptoms as well as others that are still available commercially.
With the ban of harmful insecticides, scientists have been forced to look for safer, biological ways to combat insects and ones with limited side effects. This can be done by using predators, parasites, and pathogens to kill insects without harming the environment. In one instance, scientists sterilized a large number of male insects to compete with fertile ones for females and by the next generation the population of this species was greatly reduced. Biological controls also have their limitations, however, and farmers suffer economically.
Any farmer or gardener hopes for perfect crops and flowers, but what are they willing to give up for that perfection? The long-term effects some harmful insecticides have on the organisms around them, and even human beings themselves, are too great of a risk to take. Insecticides must be used with caution, even if that gardener has to work a little bit harder to obtain his or her perfect bloom.
Sources:
Mackar, Robin. "Use of Insecticides Linked to Lasting Neurological Problems for Farmers." NIH News: National Institutes of Health. 28 April 2005. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. 16 April 2007. http://www.niehs.nih.gov/oc/news/farmers.htm.
Insecticides. The Columbia Encyclopedia. 2005. Bartelby.com. 16 April 2007.
http://www.bartleby.com/65/in/insectic.html.
ToxFAQ's for Mercury. Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. 31 Jan. 2007. Department of Health and Human Services. 16 April 2007.
http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/tfacts46.html
Lieberman, Adam J. “A Review of the Greatest Unfounded Health Scares of Recent Times. Fact Vs. Fears.” American Council on Science and Health. June 1998. 15 April 2007.
http://dwb.unl.edu/Teacher/NSF/C06/C06Links/www. altgreen.com.au/Chemicals/ddt.html
Insecticides are substances used to kill insects and pests that infest farmers' crops and also to destroy disease-carrying insects from specific areas. Insecticides are classified into five main groups: systemic, contact, natural, organic and inorganic. Use of insecticides in the United States dates back to the 1860s when it was used to stop the spread of malaria, but it wasn't until a century later when they became the target of worldwide criticism. Those opposed to the use of insecticides claimed they damaged ecological systems, poisoned people and organisms, and generally harmed the environment. In response to this criticism, legislation such as the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act of was enacted to control the sale and distribution of certain insecticides.
In recent years, scientists have aimed to develop safer insecticides to replace the toxic and harmful chemicals that have altered our ecosystem. Dichloro-Diphenyl-Trichloroethane, or DDT, is one such chemical developed to replace lead and arsenic-based insecticides which have devastated some plant populations. Developed during World War II, DDT was an effective agent in destroying mosquitoes carrying malaria, typhus, and other insect-borne illnesses in humans and agriculture.
Studies have shown the use of DDT to have many adverse effects against the environment including the decreased populations of ospreys, eagles, and even some tree populations. This discovery led to the passage of the Stockholm Convention in 1995, which instituted the widespread ban of this harmful chemical in most developed countries. However, DDT is still used today in some tropical countries where malaria and typhus continue to be serious health issues.
Mercury, a naturally-occurring element, is another metal used in compounds as an insecticide that has had unfavorable effects on the environment. Mercury can enter the environment in many ways, namely through the air near manufacturing plants and through fish whose tissue have built up with mercury. Humans exposed to mercury can develop damage to the brain and kidneys as well as damage the fetus of a pregnant woman.
A 2005 study conducted by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and the National Cancer Institute found that farmers who used agricultural insecticides suffered neurological and physical effects even after they stopped using the chemicals. Over 18,000 farmers from North Carolina and Iowa suffered from nausea, fatigue, numbness, and other neurological effects. DDT was one of the toxins known to have caused these symptoms as well as others that are still available commercially.
With the ban of harmful insecticides, scientists have been forced to look for safer, biological ways to combat insects and ones with limited side effects. This can be done by using predators, parasites, and pathogens to kill insects without harming the environment. In one instance, scientists sterilized a large number of male insects to compete with fertile ones for females and by the next generation the population of this species was greatly reduced. Biological controls also have their limitations, however, and farmers suffer economically.
Any farmer or gardener hopes for perfect crops and flowers, but what are they willing to give up for that perfection? The long-term effects some harmful insecticides have on the organisms around them, and even human beings themselves, are too great of a risk to take. Insecticides must be used with caution, even if that gardener has to work a little bit harder to obtain his or her perfect bloom.
Sources:
Mackar, Robin. "Use of Insecticides Linked to Lasting Neurological Problems for Farmers." NIH News: National Institutes of Health. 28 April 2005. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. 16 April 2007. http://www.niehs.nih.gov/oc/news/farmers.htm.
Insecticides. The Columbia Encyclopedia. 2005. Bartelby.com. 16 April 2007.
http://www.bartleby.com/65/in/insectic.html.
ToxFAQ's for Mercury. Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. 31 Jan. 2007. Department of Health and Human Services. 16 April 2007.
http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/tfacts46.html
Lieberman, Adam J. “A Review of the Greatest Unfounded Health Scares of Recent Times. Fact Vs. Fears.” American Council on Science and Health. June 1998. 15 April 2007.
http://dwb.unl.edu/Teacher/NSF/C06/C06Links/www. altgreen.com.au/Chemicals/ddt.html
