Major Social or Environmental Problems

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Major Social or Environmental Problems (Pesticide / Fertilizer use) + Obstacles that prevent Changing these problems
• • • • • • • • • • • Chemicals that may potentially migrate into our drinking water supplies are pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers storm water runoff containing these chemicals causes problems . Surface runoff of pesticides and herbicides into water bodies changes natural ecosystems by killing or damaging a wide variety of organisms. They often collect and accumulate in the food chain, becoming more harmful than their ambient concentration would suggest. . Fertilizer can also disrupt natural biological communities by increasing plant and microbial growth.( eutrophication) Eutrophication can drastically change natural water ecosystems and create new pollution conditions. Improper application of pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers may also have an impact on storm water infiltration into groundwater. When these contaminants dissolve in storm water they find their way into the groundwater and then into surface waters, such as ponds, streams, rivers, and lakes. The infiltration of these chemicals may also contaminate soil and deeper groundwater units. There are two types of pesticides: biological and chemical. Biological pesticides can be developed using fungi, bacteria and other organically present substances. Some biological pesticides are microorganisms that, without any manipulation, demonstrate natural effectiveness in targeted pest control. These generally aren't toxic to humans or animals and don't leave a persistent residue. Two classes of pesticide are: Broad-spectrum pesticides kill many kinds of pests. Narrow-spectrum pesticides are developed to kill specific organism types. Systemic pesticides work differently. They penetrate to the inside of a plant traveling along its absorption path. These poisons work by poisoning the pollen and nectar of flowers and this can kill needed pollinators like butterflies and bees. Pesticides Can spread by: Being Carried on the wind, leaving residue on produce, by remaining inside produce and animals, Running off into open water, contaminating public water supply as well as fish and other seafood Anyone who uses pesticides or is present when pesticides are sprayed is at risk for dangerous exposure. The pesticides can enter the body through skin, eyes, mouth and nose. Children seem to be greatly susceptible to the toxic effects of pesticides. The Natural Resource Defense Council has collected data which recorded higher incidence of childhood leukemia, brain cancer and birth defects. These results correlated with early exposure to pesticides.³

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Even just using pesticides in amounts within regulation, studies have revealed neurotoxins can do serious damage during development. Researchers report the dangers of pesticides can start as early as fetal stages of life. The Pesticides entry at Wikipedia.org lists some of the results that have been recorded in recent years including: • • • • Fetuses, (pre-birth babies), may suffer from exposure and exhibit behavioral problems, growth issues Lower cognitive scores, fewer nerve cells and lower birth weight A lower resistance to the toxic effects of pesticides A greater risk (70% increase), for Parkinson's disease, even with low levels of pesticides toxins from pesticides can remain in the body and build up in the liver. And, even at "safe" levels your reactions can be mild to severe. Some possible reactions are:


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Fatigue Headaches Skin Irritations Nausea Vomiting Breathing Problems Disorders Blood Disorders Liver & Kidney Damage Brain • • • • Reproductive Damage Cancer Death

There are many problems that can result from the use of pesticides and fertilizers. By using fertilizers or pesticides to keep our food looking spotless, big, and edible, a variety of life forms are put in danger or may be harmed, including ourselves. Most pesticides or fertilizers that are used on plants can easily infiltrate our drinking water supplies by running off into groundwater which later becomes part of a lake, river or other body of water that we might use as a source o f bottled water, for example, crystal springs lake could be polluted by pesticides or fertilizers if there were a nearby plot of land on which pesticides were used, and there was a storm, and that storm created water runoff that was soaked up by the ground to become groundwater, and then that groundwater made it to the lake during the next storm. If the pesticide infected water made its way to any type of body of water it might kill organisms that are essential to the ecosystem that thrives there, and subsequently alter the ecosystem. Predators are also susceptible to harm if they eat the organisms that have been killed by pesticide poisoning; they may poison themselves, and the next predator in the food chain might eat the newly poisoned organism, in turn, corrupting the food

chain, and making the pesticide more harmful than the user may have originally thought. Obstacles that prevent the pesticide & fertilizer problem from being fixed revolve around giant industries that provide us with food. One obstacle is the inexpensiveness of pesticides and the amount of customer loss that would result after pesticide use was eliminated because of the way the produce might look. Another obstacle that prevents pesticide use from being eradicated is the ignorance of pesticide users; without knowing harm is being caused by yourself, you have no way of stopping it; knowledge is power to stop what is wrong. 3 Policies, Products, or Services to reduce negative impact on environment and society • • • • Limit to amount of pesticides used Invention to prevent water runoff into bodies of water Only allow pesticide use far away from lakes Put a fence around land to prevent animals from eating pesticide produce

Websites Used: http://www.globalhealingcenter.com/effects-of-pesticides.html http://www.oseh.umich.edu/stormwater/Pesticides%20and%20Fertilizers.pdf http://www.sonoma.edu/users/h/hanesda/b308/pesticid.html

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