Pesticide use and health outcomes: Evidence from agricultural water pollution in China

Abstract

This paper provides the first quasi-experimental evidence that pesticides adversely affect health outcomes through drinking water by linking provincial pesticide usage reports from several Chinese statistical yearbooks (1998-2011) with the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (1998-2011). First, we follow a difference-indifference in differences (DDD) framework to compare health outcomes between people who drink surface water and ground water in regions with high and low intensity of rice pesticide use before and after 2004, when China shifted from taxing agriculture to subsidizing agricultural programs. Second, we measure the downstream effect of pesticide use from upstream provinces. Our results indicate that a 10% increase in rice pesticide use unfavorably alters the index of dependence (ADL) by 2.51% and 0.33% for local and downstream residents (65 and older), respectively. This is equivalent to 168.8 and 55.89 million dollars in medical costs and offspring's human capital losses, respectively (in total, 1.92% of rice production profits). Our results are robust to a variety of robustness checks and falsification tests.

Farm Machine Use and Pesticide Expenditure in Maize Production: Health and Environment Implications

“…Modern agriculture depends heavily on pesticide use, which has successfully increased productivity but led to increasing concerns regarding the environment and human health [1,2,3,4,5]. For example, Richter [6] estimated that about 26 million pesticide poisoning cases resulted in 220 thousand deaths per year worldwide.…”

Neonicotinoids in U.S. maize: Insecticide substitution effects and environmental risk

“…Chemical inputs such as insecticides and herbicides are essential to modern commercial agriculture, and have been credited with contributing substantially to agricultural productivity increases in both developed and developing countries. But pesticides are controversial because of potentially adverse health and environmental effects (Wilson and Tisdell 2001;Lai 2017). Most countries have developed elaborate regulations to address these external effects, which include risk assessments prior to approval (registration), and monitoring with ex post command and control mechanisms such as use restrictions and bans (deregistration) (Zilberman and Millock 1997;Sexton, Lei, and Zilberman 2007).…”

Simple and sensitive detection of triazophos pesticide by using quantum dots nanobeads based on immunoassay

“…Organophosphorus Pesticides (OPs) are extremely important compounds in pesticides due to their diverse varieties, high efficacy, wide application and easy decomposition. However, some varieties are highly toxic, and their widespread use can effectively reduce pests and diseases and increase crop yields, but at the same time, their trace residues in the environment and agricultural products endanger the health of animals and humans (Hua et al, 2006;Lai, 2017;Vermeire, MacPhail, & Waters, 2003). Triazophos (O,O-diethyl O-(1-phenyl-1H-1,2,4-triazol-3-yl) phosphorothioate) is a broad-spectrum, moderately toxic insecticide that has been mainly used in China on fruit trees, cotton, and grain crops.…”