Are Organic Pesticides Better for the Environment and Human Health?

Organ pesticides are those that are obtained from the natural environment (Aslihan Nasir and Karakaya, 2014). These are mainly the substances that the plants naturally use to protect themselves from pests and other harmful microorganisms. Non-organic pesticides on the other hand are those that are manufactured in the laboratory using synthetic substances (Bernhardt, Rosi and Gessner, 2017). Comparing the organic pesticides to the non-organic, the organic pesticides are better. This is because the organic pesticides do not persist in the environment and therefore do not cause harm to the environment (Eto, 2018). Non-organic pesticides persist in the environment and usually have toxic effects (Guthman, 2014). This could cause harm both to the environment and to human beings for the pesticides may find their way to the food.

Organic farming is considered to the kind of farming that does not involve using of synthetic chemicals (Hemler, Chavarro and Hu, 2018). This means that the farming does not involve such chemicals such as non-organic pesticides. Conventional farming on the other hand involves the use of synthetic chemicals in farming (Howard, b2017). Organic farming is better that the conventional farming. Organic farming is less destructive to the environment as it involves the use of naturally occurring or organic materials that are biodegradable. Non-organic farming on the hand leads to faster yield but is destructive to the environment. In addition, conventional farming could pose significant harm to the health and wellbeing of the person who consume the conventional food. The harm is usually as a result of pesticide residues. Some of the residues having been identified to be carcinogenic and to persist in the environment for long periods.

Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) is one of the insecticides that have been in use for a long time in agriculture. Some countries such as the United States of America banned the use of the insecticide but it is still used in some countries. The US banned the insecticide in 1972 and most other countries has banned it (Klein, 2017). The countries that use it, do so mainly for control of mosquitoes and malaria. The insecticide is known to persist in the environment for long periods. It could also stay in the animal tissues for a significant amount of time. Due to its persistence in the environment, it is usually consumed from foods such as fish and dairy. It can get its way in to the human body through eating or breathing substances that may be contaminated with the substance. Once in the body, they are broken into metabolites. In lactating mothers, the metabolites may find their way to the breast milk.

Organic vs Conventional Farming: Pros and Cons

At low concentrations, the insecticide is not known to have significant health effects. At high concentrations however, the substance is associated with symptoms such vomiting, tremors and shaking involuntarily. Studies involving lab animals have also shown the substance could be quite harmful in high concentrations. At such doses, it has been shown to cause problems to the liver and the reproductive systems. In addition, the insecticide has been categorized as a human carcinogen. Characterization of the pesticides was done through clinical trials. Scientist from the Centre for Disease Control measured the levels of DDT and its metabolite in the serum of at least 1956 participants. Every participant was older than 12 years. After carrying out the study the following findings were made. It was noted that it is only a small proportion of the population that has DDT that could be detected. Majority of the participant had DDE which is a metabolite of the DDT. The study also identified that a person in the United States is likely to have about five times the amount that the person outside US would have. Extensive evidence suggests that it is possible for a person to have a measurable amount of DDT in their serum and still lead a normal life. It is only when the concentrations are very high, that harm to health could be caused (Postigo and Barceló, 2015). Public health officials are responsible for determining the amount that is known to cause harm. In other words, the public health departments of various nations around the world should determine the amount of serum DDT that is harmful to health.

As noted earlier, DDT has been used as an insecticide for a long time. most countries have banned its use in the modern days and the countries that use it do so mainly for the control of mosquitos and malaria. DDT is a harmful substance and persists both in the environment and body tissues. It is known to be carcinogenic and affect the normal functioning of the liver and reproductive system. It is therefore wise for all governments to ban the use od DDT.

Different countries may set different amounts of allowable concentrations of pesticide in food substances. The purpose of regulating is usually to ensure that the citizens are receiving foods and other products that are free of any potential harm. The food substance that are of great concern are the fruits and vegetables (Reganold and Wachter, 2016). One country may set the maximum allowed pesticide residues at a certain value which may be less or higher than that of another country. The criteria used is mainly based on animal studies. The animal studies are used to determine the highest concentration at no which negative effects are observed (Popa, Mitelut and Stan, 2018). While some may argue that animal studies cannot be used to make decisions concerning human beings, it is true to say that most of the lab animals are mammals and their anatomy is comparable to that of the human being. It is also worth noting that some experiments cannot be carried out using human beings, it would be unethical. Most countries set the value to be that which there is no observable adverse effect. The aim of this is to ensure that the population is not exposed to any harm. The level used in Canada may be different from those used in the United States. The values are usually close but they may differ at times.

Examples of Harmful Pesticides and How Hazard Was Managed

This issue has mainly affected the vegetable and fruit industry. Let us take an example. The United States has set the maximum concentration of pesticide residues that they can accept for use locally. This means both the amounts in locally produced foods and imported foods. To solve the problem in an industry, I would be sure to use the no observable effects level concertation as the standard to be used for the purposes of the food production. This would ensure compliance to the standards and also ensure food safety. In the contemporary society, the issue of food safety ahs become very important. If people do not have access to safe foods, then they are food insecure. Therefore, maximizing safety ensures food security.

REACH is the main regulation of chemicals in the European Union. The regulation applies to all sorts of chemicals. These include those that are found on their own, those that are found in mixtures and those which are released from products intentionally. To ensure that citizens are safe, it is important to ensure that chemicals are appropriately regulated. Otherwise, the citizens could face suffering the negative consequences associated with a situation where chemicals are not regulated. It is Worthing that there are other regulations on chemicals in the European Union but the main one is REACH.

The regulation of chemicals in Canada is very much like that of REACH. I would say that the degree to which the regulations are close to those of REACH is more than 60%. Here are the reasons for this. The first reason is the very basic one, that is, both the regulations are aimed at protecting the citizens from the harm that may befall them through improper use of chemicals. The second reason is that both the Canadian regulation and that of REACH requires that appropriate communication be done regarding the risks to buyers. It is very important that the consumers or users of a product be ware of any harmful effects that may be caused by the chemical components of the product that they are using. The third reason is that both require specific notification requirements. This refers to a situation where the manufacturers are required to indicate on the packages the specific components and amounts of chemicals. This information is very useful to the consumer and it may help them make an appropriate choice on products that they are buying.

The fourth and final reason is that sale of certain substances may require appropriate authorization. When it comes to the European Union, such authorisation is made by the European commission. For Canada, the authorisation is made by the Canadian government. It would be risky for the government or other agencies such as the European commission to leave manufacturing of certain chemical substances in the hands of unverified firms or organizations. To ensure that the citizens are protected, it is wise to impose strict regulations when it comes to some chemical substances. This particularly refers to the very harmful chemicals.

References

Aslihan Nasir, V., & Karakaya, F. (2014). Consumer segments in organic foods market. Journal of Consumer Marketing, 31(4), 263-277.

Bernhardt, E. S., Rosi, E. J., & Gessner, M. O. (2017). Synthetic chemicals as agents of global change. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, 15(2), 84-90.

Eto, M. (2018). Organophosphorus pesticides. CRC press.

Guthman, J. (2014). Agrarian dreams: The paradox of organic farming in California (Vol. 11). University of California Press.

Hemler, E. C., Chavarro, J. E., & Hu, F. B. (2018). Organic Foods for Cancer Prevention—Worth the Investment? JAMA internal medicine.

Howard, P. (2017). Handbook of environmental fate and exposure data: for organic chemicals, volume III pesticides. Routledge.

Klein, M. (2017). Calculation of emission factors for impurities in organic pesticides with PELMO. Personnel communication.

Popa, M., Mitelut, A. & Stan, A. (2018). Organic foods contribution to nutritional quality and value. Trends in Food Science & Technology.

Postigo, C., & Barceló, D. (2015). Synthetic organic compounds and their transformation products in groundwater: occurrence, fate and mitigation. Science of the Total Environment, 503, 32-47.

Reganold, J. P., & Wachter, J. M. (2016). Organic agriculture in the twenty-first century. Nature plants, 2(2), 15221.