Pesticides: An Overview of the Current Health Problems of Their Use

Abstract

The necessity to produce increasing quantities of food to meet the demand of ever-increasing populations has led to the massive use of pesticides in agriculture. Their massive consumption derives from the need to subtract food from competition of fungi, bacteria, and insects and agricultural land from the invasion of competing weeds. Modern agriculture floats on an ocean of synthetic chemical compounds used to crop protection and food preservation during storage. Presently, worldwide about 2000 active ingredients have been listed, categorized into about 60 classes of chemicals. In the world, the overall pesticides, used in agriculture, are about 4.1 million tonnes/years. The exposure of animals and humans to pesticides could be related to neurotoxicity, endocrine disruption, liver and kidney damage, cancer, reproductive effects (sperm abnormalities, decreased fertility, fetal growth retardation, birth defects, or spontaneous abortion), and growth modifications. However, the knowledge about their potential damage to the organs of reproduction, breastfeeding, and infants is still largely insufficient. It is necessary to improve new methods to identify and regulate the long-term safety of pesticides use, to protect the environment and health, and to eliminate the adverse effect of pesticides on the environment and non-target organisms. The assessment of possible risks of old and new pesticides must be increased to include the possible effects on reproduction on animals and pregnancy loss even after a long time. In the meantime, it is necessary to minimize the use of synthetic chemical compounds by increasing the use of biological systems.

Sensing of heavy metal Pb2+ ions in water utilizing the photonic structure of highly controlled hexagonal TiON/TiO2 nanotubes

“…These may include neurological disorders, organ damage, developmental abnormalities, and even cancer. Therefore, it is crucial to prioritize the development of sensitive and selective sensors for the detection and quantification of these metals in the environment and various matrices (such as water, soil, and food) 9 , 10 . Lead is a highly toxic substance that can affect humans.…”

Sensitivity Test of Nilaparvata lugens Stall to Pymetrozine Insecticide

“…The continuous application of insecticides will encourage the occurrence of resistance and resurgence of BPH which results in a faster population increase compared to before the application of insecticides. The use of pesticides also causes environmental pollution in the soil [4,5], waters [6][7][8], disrupts the biodiversity [9,10], and interfere with human health [11][12][13][14]. The use of the same active ingredients continuously and mixing of several active ingredients is often done by farmers in controlling BPH [15].…”

Toxicology study of Eucalyptus citriodora on the insect Doleschallia bisaltidae

“…The Doleschallia control with chemical insecticides cannot be carried out specifically on this medicinal plant, because it endangers the user. The detrimental effects of chemical pesticides, especially on human health and the environment (including non-target organisms), are some of the reasons of this chemical pesticide is highly avoided [10]. As a type of plant compound, essential oil can be used as a biopesticide because it is safe and biodegradable and can provide residue-free food ingredients [11,12].…”