1. Pesticides
Are the current Government
regulations for pesticide use in
farming sufficient for healthy living?
Bonnie Gallea
February 17, 2012

2. What are Pesticides?
• Insecticides- Chemical substances used
to kill insects
• Herbicides- Chemical substances used
to kill weeds
• Fungicides- Chemical substances used
to kill fungus
• Rodenticides- Chemical substances
used to kill Rodents

3. Current EPA
Regulations

4. EPA testing is done by toxicologists
overseen by lawyers.
A pesticide is banned
when it:
• Poses an unreasonable risk to humans or
the environment.
• Has a common active ingredient with others
that are toxic.
• Has high exposure risk- one time or multiple
times.

5. More Regulations…
• The EPA also lists how a pesticide is
to be used, how often it can be used, and
any protective clothing or equipment needed.
• The EPA re-evaluates active ingredients in pesticides
every 15 years.
• They have the power to place a pesticide on restriction
if there are questions. However, those restrictions
don’t stop the use entirely.
• The EPA requires over 100 different studies and tests
before approving a pesticide.
• Pesticides are regulated by both the States and the EPA.

6. Chemical Pesticides
• Organophosphate , Carbamate , Pyrethroid - all affect
the nervous system of insects
• Amino Acid Inhibitors, Photosynthesis
Inhibitors, Synthetic Auxin, Growth Regulators, Cell
Division Inhibitors- all categories of herbicidal
pesticides
• Mancozeb, Tricyclazole, Carbendazim, Hexaconazole,
Metalaxyl , Benomyl just some of the contact fungicides
(kills when sprayed on the surface) and systemic
fungicides (absorbed through the plant) that exist.
Over 1 billion tons of pesticides are used every year

7. Disadvantages of
Using Pesticides

8. • Currently 900 commercial pesticides
are approved for conventional farming.
• Toxic in large quantities.
• Accidental food contamination.
• Can damage crops trying to protect.
• Reduction of beneficial organisms.
• Changes the natural balance.
• Drifts to contaminate livestock.
• Ground water contamination.
• Resistance of crops do to overuse.

9. Possible Health Effects

10. • Endocrine Damage-
thyroid, hormonal, reproductive, and
metabolism
• Cancers
• Nervous System Damage
• Liver Damage
• Irritation to Skin and Eyes
• Vomiting, diarrhea, slow heart rate
• Birth Defects
Most health risks are associated with farm workers or
improper use although many studies have been done
that support endocrine damage to children from
exposure to pesticides in food.

11. Benefits of Pesticides

12. • Reduced deforestation-better crop yield less land
needed.
• Reduction in fertilizer used- less fossil fuels
• Pesticides enable farmers to till less (less weeds)
in turn causing less soil erosion.
• Food production has increased
20-50% over the last 40 years.
• Less water needed to produce crops.
• Disease control-from insects, fungus,
and toxic weeds.
• Protecting livestock from insects and rodents.
• Cost effective-more money for the farmers, better
prices in the grocery store.

13. Current Testing

14. • New testing is being done to determine if
foods are grown organically or
conventionally. They test
nitrogen and oxygen content.
• Independent researchers funded
by the U.S. and other governments are testing
pesticides for endocrine disruption as well as
other health risks. The EPA’s testing is
limited in scope.
• New techniques in pesticide free farming are
being tested around the world.

15. Organic Foods

16. Billions of dollars are spent every year for
organic food and what are their benefits if any?
• Nutritionally, conventional and
organic foods are the same.
• 20 organic chemicals are legally
used in the production of organic
foods, the quantity of which is not recorded. Although
natural, many of these chemicals still have risks.
• Because manure is often used instead of fertilizer there is
a higher incidence of pathogens, such as E.coli.
• Organic yields are much less therefore more land would
be required.
• Consumers pay more without actually getting more.

17. Advances in
Technology

18. • Green Pesticides- biodegradable, safe, natural
methods are being explored. Some use cow’s
urine, plant leaves, shellac, sucrose, and even
yeast to maintain and improve crops. These
would be less toxic to humans, animals, and
the environment.
• Transgenic Crops- genetic
engineering is being used to build
crops, making them disease
resistant, able to stand up to
fertilizer better, create deeper root
systems, and increase yields.
Lowering the need for pesticides.

19. Conclusions

20. Are the current Government regulations for pesticide
use in farming sufficient for healthy living?
• There is substantial evidence that pesticides
improve our quality of life, allowing many
people around the world access to an
abundance of healthy food.
• Pesticides have been proven to reduce the need
for fertilizers and to stop deforestation,
increasing production and lowering the risks to
global warming.

21. Are the current Government regulations for pesticide
use in farming sufficient for healthy living?
• Disease control is an important aspect of
pesticides also. The Black Plague and the Irish
Potato Famine are both linked to thousands of
deaths and could have been prevented with
pesticides.
However…

22. Are the current Government regulations for pesticide
use in farming sufficient for healthy living?
• The EPA’s process of placing a pesticide on
restriction for months or even years before
making a determination of it’s toxicity creates
potential health hazards.
• Pesticides can damage the environment as
much as they help, changing the natural
balance and reducing the beneficial organisms.

23. Are the current Government regulations for pesticide
use in farming sufficient for healthy living?
• Organic food is an option for some but not for
all, cost and availability are prohibitive. They
still have traces of pesticides, some of which
are legal, and their nutritional value is virtually
identical.
• The health risks associated with pesticides are
substantial especially for those who are young
or sensitive.

24. Are the current Government regulations for pesticide
use in farming sufficient for healthy living?
• Chemists and geneticists are working to
improve our pesticides as well as our crops
grown. Much more research and development
needs to be done in this area.
Finally…
• The government regulations designed to keep
us safe work far too slowly. We need to
continue to push for better options.

25. References

26. References
Swaminathan, N. (2007, April 14). Testing the Authenticity of Organic Foods.
Scientific America. Retrieved from
http://www.scientificamerartiican.com/cle.cfm?id=organic-food-authenticity-test.
The author of this article discusses a test being developed in the UK to determine
nitrogen content. They are also attempting to find the levels of oxygen and copper
in hopes of testing food for organic or conventional methods with some degree of
accuracy. I can use this article to help show the differences between organic food
and conventionally grown food.
Colborn, T. (2009, April 27). EPA’s New Pesticide Testing is outdated. Scientific
America. Retrieved from http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=epas-
new-pesticide-testing-outdated
The author of this article discusses the EPA’s current testing procedures for
pesticides. He contends that the tests are outdated and limited, not taking into
account endocrine-disrupting pesticides. I can use this article to show other testing
methods and their problems.

27. References
Raloff, J. (2005, November 23). Organic doesn’t mean free of pesticides. Science
News. Retrieved from
http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/6800/title/Food_for_Thought__
Organic_Doesnt_Mean_Free_of_Pesticides
This article is about studies done, some by college chemistry students, that show that the
pesticides we used decades ago and are now banned still work their way into our food through
the skin of root crops. It also shows that there is small differences in the organically grown
from the conventionally grown but not significant. This article is of some use but mostly
background information since the studies were limited in scope.
Cone, M. (2010, August 18). Toxic Pesticide Banned after Decades of Us.
Environmental Health News. Retrieved from
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=toxic-pesticide-banned-after-
decades-of-use
The article is about the use of a pesticide called aldicarb used on citrus, potatoes, dry beans,
peanuts, soybeans, sugar beets and cotton. This pesticide, now banned, can cause vomiting,
diarrhea, twitching muscles, and slow heart rates; the manufacturer will be ending distribution
of the product by 2017. I can use this article to support increased regulations.

28. References
Moyer, M. (2010, February 22). How to make more food with transgenic crops.
Scientific America. Retrieved from
http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/2010/02/22/how-to-make-more-
food-with-transgenic-crops.
This article is about genetic engineering of plants to reduce the need for fertilizers and
pesticides. The author states that they are trying to breed varieties where the root runs
horizontally in the ground instead of vertically in order to take advantage of phosphorous in
the soil and to protect against erosion. I can use this article as an example of the wave of the
future and to support the reduction of pesticides.
Prosser, E. (2011, August 11). Nutritional differences in organic versus conventional
foods: and the winner is…. Scientific America. Retrieved from
http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/guest-blog/2011/08/11/nutritional-differences-
in-organic-vs-conventional-foods-and-the-winner-is.
This article is a systematic review of studies in the differences in organic vs. conventional
food. The results were of the 162 studies reviewed 55 were satisfactory in content and research
and showed no significant difference in Vitamin C, magnesium, potassium, calcium, zinc,
copper or phenolic compounds. I can use this article to show there is no real difference in
nutrition of organic verses conventional food.

29. References
Cone, M. (2010, June 10). Endosulfan to be banned, pesticide poses unacceptable risks,
EPA says. Environmental Health News. Retrieved from
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=endosulfan-banned-epa
This article is about endosulfan, a pesticide used to kill mites on vegetables, it was reviewed in
2002 by the EPA and restrictions were added. This airborne pesticide has been deemed a very
high risk to farm workers and bystanders by the EPA and now after 10 years it is being banned.
I can use this article to support more regulations.
Chameudes, B. (2011, December 2). On Food Environment and Choices. Scientific
America. Retrieved from http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=on-
food-the-environment-and-choices.
This article discusses the link between better farming practices, use of pesticides, and
fertilizers to climate change. As the population grows, he suggests we might need as much as
2.5 million acres of land cleared for food and in turn that would lead to climate change through
increased fertilizer and fossil fuel use. I can use this article to support better farming practices
through the use of pesticides.

30. References
Kent, J. (1992). Pesticides in Agriculture. The Regional Institute. Retrieved from
http://www.regional.org.au/au/roc/1992/roc1992031.htm.
This article discusses modern agricultural practices in Austria. It lists the benefits of
using pesticides such as quality of food, increasing production, combating disease, and
starvation as well as keeping the land from eroding. I can use this article to show that
pesticides have an important role to play in farming and have several advantages.
Resnik, D. & Portier, C. (2012). Environment and Health. The Hastings Center.
Retrieved from
http://www.thehastingscenter.org/Publications/BriefingBook/Detail.aspx?id=2170.
This article discusses the social and economic issues associated with pesticides. Health
concerns, poverty, disease, and global warming. I can use this article to support both sides of
the argument; it lists out benefits and risks as well as the social effects. It also touches on the
legal issues and advancements being made.

31. References
Casida, JE. (2012). The Greening of Pesticide-Environment Interactions: Some
Personal Observations. Environmental Health Perspectives.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1289/ehp.1104405.
This article reviews the current advancements in pesticides; it also mentions that over 900
pesticides are currently in use. The author discusses the changes that need to be made and
reasons for green chemistry in this area. I can use this article to help show where we are now
and where we can go in the future.
Saffron, L. (2002). Fighting Famine with Ancestral Agriculture. Environmental Health
Perspectives. 110:a235-a235. http://dx.doi.org/10.1289/ehp.110-a235a
This article discusses “Save the Children’s” project Farmers Field School, the project in
Ethiopia teaches local farmers natural methods of pest control. They use cow’s urine, neem
leaves, and sisal to improve crop yields. I can use this article to highlight the research being
done around the world where pesticides are often too expensive to be an option; this also
shows that pesticides are an important aspect of farming.

32. References
Pesticides. (n.d.). Retrieved from Environmental Protection Agency website:
http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/health/reducing.htm
This is the website of the EPAs standards for determining the safety of a pesticide, weather a
pesticide poses an unreasonable risk to humans or not. It also states limits on use of pesticides,
if it can be used how often, and what protective clothing or equipment must be used. I can use
this website to show the EPA standards.
Wilcox, C. (2011, July 18). Mythbusting 101: Organic Farming>Conventional Agriculture.
Scientific American. Retrieved http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/science-
sushi/2011/07/18/mythbusting-101-organic-farming-conventional-agriculture.
This article discusses the myths behind organic foods and tries to explain why they are actually
myths. Organic foods still have pesticides, organic foods are not healthier, they are not
necessarily better for the environment, and finally that organic foods are not an all or nothing
proposition. I can use this article to show the benefits as well as the drawbacks of organic
foods.