What are pesticides?
Pesticides
is the generic, general name for: herbicides, vermicides,
fungicides, rodenticides and miticides.
They are poisons designed to kill insects, plants, fungi,
moulds and rodents. The word “cide “ comes from
the latin and means to kill. We know it from the word “homicide”:
to kill a person.
Pesticides contain “active” ingredients (the
chemicals intended to kill the pests), and so-called “inert”
ingredients. These are considered trade secrets, and although
in many cases they can be even more toxic than “active”
chemicals, most consumers are completely unaware they exist.
Not only do pesticides kill the “pests” but
often they also kill beneficial insects and plants. Even
when used as directed, pesticides have many negative side
effects on human health and the environment.
Pesticides can harm the people who apply
them as well as bystanders. The World Health Organization
reports that each year approximately 3 million people are
poisoned by pesticides around the world, with as many as
50% of them being children under the age of 10. And that
is just the immediate danger! Long -term dangers are unknown.
Pesticides threaten family pets. Dogs from
homes with lawns that have been sprayed with pesticides
have a higher than average rate of the canine equivalent
of lymphoma. Cancer is now the number one cause of deaths
in dogs.
Pesticides will kill wildlife and harm habitats.
Chemicals drift with the wind or are waterborne or get absorbed
into the groundwater and soils. Eagles, hawks, owls, falcons,
gulls and weasels along with fish, reptiles, frogs and wildflowers
are all vulnerable.
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