Harmful Effects Of Pesticides On Human Health




Short-Term Effects Of Pesticides

Short-term pesticide poisoning or acute toxicity from pesticides is usually the result of a single and brief exposure to a pesticide. This kind of poisoning can happen due to exposure via the skin, inhalation, through the eyes, or orally.6 Symptoms of acute toxicity can become apparent instantly or take as long as 48 hours. Short-term effects of pesticides can manifest as:
  • Nausea and vomiting
  • Diarrhea
  • Loss of consciousness
  • Seizures
  • Coughing and sore throat
  • Extreme weakness78

Long-Term Effects Of Pesticides

While continual, low-dose exposure to pesticides don’t usually show immediate effects, they cause serious harm to human health in the long term.
  • Repeated exposure to pesticides, even in small doses, has been linked to a number of diseases such as cancer, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, sterility, and developmental disorders.9
  • Chronic exposure to pesticides can also lead to genetic changes and serious nerve disorders.10
  • Some studies have even linked pesticides to asthma, ADHD, depression, and anxiety.11
  • Some pesticides contain chemicals that may be endocrine disruptors. These types of pesticides can be especially damaging because they interfere with our hormones and hormonal balance. Over a period of time, even low concentrations of these chemicals can cause obesity, diabetes, thyroid tumors, decreased fertility, uterus abnormalities, and early puberty.
  • Lastly, pesticides are also known to cause neurological issues such as loss of memory and coordination, visual impairment, mood instability, and reduced motor skills.12 13 14

Effects Of Pesticides On Pregnant Women

Exposure to pesticides and pesticide residue can lower fertility in women. A Harvard study found that women who ate more than two servings of fruits or vegetables with high pesticide residue each day were 18% less likely to become pregnant and 26% less likely to have a live birth compared to women with lower exposure.15
Expectant mothers need to be extra vigilant about pesticide exposure. Pesticides contain chemicals that attack the nervous system of pests, causing them to die. In the first trimester of your pregnancy, the baby’s nervous system develops rapidly, so pregnant women should definitely steer clear of pesticides, even if it’s just household bug spray. Pregnant women exposed to chemicals in lawn and garden care pesticides are also at a higher risk for having babies with cleft palate, heart defects, neural tube defects, and limb abnormalities.16 Some studies have also demonstrated a link between pesticide exposure and miscarriages, perinatal death, and premature birth.17

Effects Of Pesticides On Kids

Children are especially susceptible to harmful effects of pesticides.18 They can easily become exposed to pesticides (via inhalation or skin contact) in schools, daycare, playgrounds, hospitals, and any other public areas, no matter how careful you are.
Kids’ bodies are smaller and still growing, they take more breaths per minute, and they also eat and drink more relative to their weight – all factors that make them more likely to absorb pesticides and residue. Their little kidneys and liver also cannot eliminate pesticides from their bloodstream as effectively as an adult’s.19
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Children can show symptoms of acute toxicity discussed above (rashes, respiratory difficulty etc.) but the more worrisome effects include developmental disorders and impacts on brain growth.20 Among children, pesticides have been associated with low birth weight, preterm birth, childhood cancer, asthma, ADHD, autism, cognitive deficits, and lower IQ.21

Effects Of Pesticides On The Environment

Widespread use of pesticides in agriculture has experts worried due to their long-term environmental damage. Some pesticides can stick around for years, posing a very real threat to the ecological system and hence human health. Excessive and careless use of pesticides can contaminate water sources and soil, make fruits and vegetables less nutritious, and reduce biodiversity. Some pesticides have also been linked to the dramatic reduction in the number of bees across the world, posing a huge threat to agriculture and food security, given that bees pollinate more than 70% of all crops.22

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