Flvs Chemistry 3.07

Many of these pesticides are harmful to humans and animals in addition to the insects they’re designed to eradicate. Each year, more than a billion pounds of pesticides enter our environment in the United States alone. Taking those chemicals out of the soil and water supply can reduce the occurrence of health problems in communities, according to the Organic Trade Commission (“Health Benefits”). Some of these pesticides may contain cancer-causing chemicals. The President’s Cancer Panel released a report in April 2010 discussing the sources of such carcinogens:

It has been a prime location for studies to be conducted by health organizations to see if there are any links to the pesticide usage occurring along with people living in the vicinity of where it is being used. ARTICLE PESTICDES STUDY (Kehoe) The study correlates a link between certain chemicals that are used in the manufacturing of pesticides and these chemical ORGANOCHLORINES to Alzheimer’s disease along with many autism related defects between children. Children are who we try to keep safe as they are the young and will be our future. Pregnant women living in pesticide applied areas were more likely to have a child with birth defects as the chemicals are absorbed through the air and can reach the fetus via the bloodstream. These are also the most susceptible to these chemicals being used by farmers and the by the produce they

Obviously then, an insect that lives on wheat can build up its population to much higher levels on a farm devoted to wheat than on one in which wheat is intermingled with other crops to which the insect is not adapted”. We as humans would rather risk killing ourselves in the process with all these chemicals which makes these insects stronger which in return we would have to create even more powerful poison/chemicals, so it is basically a never-ending war but in the end, we as humans will always come to the point of lose. As we create more chemicals, these bugs become more resistant just how like in todays current time, the more we treat everything with antibiotics the more the disease becomes resistant to the point that we can’t kill off the disease we just have to allow nature to take its course as there is nothing we can do at that point. We already see this happening around the world, yet we keep on treating everything with drugs instead of using natural products that nature provided us with. Through researching this topic, there was a quote that spoke to me. It was by Bill Whittle who stated, “We are the Architects of our own demise”, this statement could be felt like echoes across the world as it is a true statement. It is because of foolish thirst for money and power that we are destroying our precious resources at the cost of dominating the earth instead of protecting and

Human beings were negatively affected in a multitude of ways including contracting illnesses as a result of ingesting pesticides and also indirect negative effects. Because of this issue, the pesticides should be banned and non-chemical responses found to deal with the insect problem.

A study was conducted in July of 2007 by the researchers of Public Health Institute, the California Department of Health Services, and the UC Berkeley School of Public Health. The subject of the study was children born from mothers who had been exposed to organochlorine pesticides. It was found that these children are at a much higher risk of developing disorders on the autism spectrum than children of other mothers. The risk was estimated to be at least six times higher (“The Problem”). In addition to this, the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry published a long term study in 2009 that focused on children living in homes where the average supply of grocery foods were products that were exposed to pesticides. These adolescents were then compared to children who lived in residences without exposure to pesticides.

Though Rachel Carson was not the first to bring up such issues of insecticides - beekeepers and ornithologists had already been filing insecticide related lawsuits in the 1950s - , she was the first to bring it to the attention of the general population, which in my opinion is one of the most important steps an environmentalist can take. It would be unreasonable for Carson to believe that she could singlehandedly stop the use of insecticides and automatically make the world a safe and poison free place, but by bringing such issues to the public eye, she was able to ignite something within the people which would then spread from person to person, state to state, and eventually to government officials who have the power to permanently make a change. Furthermore, though this may not have been her intention, the effects that Silent Spring had on our world and society as a whole expands exponentially farther than the single subject of insecticides. In the book’s introduction, Al Gore eloquently notes that Carson, “brought us back to a fundamental idea lost to an amazing degree in modern civilization : the interconnection of human beings and the natural environment.” And, today, though our world still faces many environmental issues and there are still many who do not believe in the importance or even existence of such issues, the use of such insecticides discussed in

She uses words such as “evil”, “sinister”, and “irrevocable”. These words, in and of themselves, stir a foreboding strong inner sense of future misfortune. Her disquieting phrases command contemplation, and they speak to the gravity of the matter at hand. Phrases such as “no time”,” the very nature of this life”, and “barrage of poisons” hammer the reader on an emotional level throughout the excerpt. Thoughts of death for humans and extinction of the human race menacingly creep in and it is next to impossible to keep those thoughts at bay. It is in the nature of humanity to push such thoughts by the wayside, not think about such horrors, yet this is exactly where Rachel Carson takes us. Again and again, she eloquently presents the human actions regarding pesticides and immediately follows with a dark nefarious consequence. The tendrils of consequence are far reaching, and Carson is clear in her argument that with the use of pesticides humans are putting their future in grave danger. She states “It is ironic to think that man might determine his own future by something so seemingly trivial as the choice of an insect spray” (757). Carson’s use of the word “trivial” in this statement puts before us the responsibility of paying attention to what we as humans do. It requires us to take a look at the behaviors we would not normally examine. It forces us to regard

There are many who believe pesticides are a necessary evil. They recognize some of the downfalls, but there are also many benefits of this creation. Supporters say with the safe and responsible use of pesticides, the use of pesticides has many benefits. It boosts the overall food supply, makes food cheaper to purchase, and make fruits that are free of insect contamination and insect blemishes. In addition, “Pesticides are used to protect and enhance lawns, gardens, public parks, playing fields, lakes and ponds for public enjoyment”

Carson’s introduction to her Silent Spring portrays the utter destruction of the environment caused by us humans’ disdain towards nature through our constant use of pesticides; therefore, she urges her audience to recognize the significance of maintaining the health of our environment lest we want to live in her bleak description of our future Earth. Carson opens up with the juxtaposition of two worlds: one beautiful and untouched, and one deserted and barren. Her change in diction from positive to malign illustrates the contrast, going from words like “prosperous” and “beauty” to “blight,” “death,” and “sickness.” By showing the complete opposite sides of the spectrum, Carson exemplifies how ruinous the use of pesticides is on the environment,

Insecticides, herbicides, fungicides, rodenticides, and antimicrobials are all pesticides. Many insecticides are designed to attack the brain and nervous system of an insect, which means they can also have a neurotoxic effect on humans. They are generally the most immediately toxic to insects. Farmers get caught in the “pesticide trap” as they are forced to use more and more pesticides to control insects and weeds that have formed a resistance -- also referred to as “superbugs” and “superweeds.” Each year pesticide resistance is increasing. “Between 500 and 1000 insect and weed species have developed pesticide resistance since 1945. Each year an estimate of 1 billion pounds of pesticides are applied throughout the U.S. and over 17,000 are on the market. People using pesticides and others in the community who live near are most at risk for pesticide poisoning, but studies by the Centers for Disease Control show that all of us carry pesticides in our bodies. (Pesticides 101,

The environment molds plant and animal life, but over the past century humans have been able to alter the environment. This change caused problems to the earth pollution to the earth, air, and water sources. Pollution extends to the animals, vegetation, and humans as well. These damages are mostly irreversible, and continue at a rapid pace. Pesticides are a large factor in this pollution. The earth can adjust to these chemicals, but not fast enough. Every year 500 new synthetic chemicals are introduced. Continuing to use these chemicals can be harmful to the future generations. The public is not informed about the consequences of these chemicals, and must find out on their own.

Pesticide control is a good and bad thing for the human body, studies have shown that pesticide chemicals have proved to keep insects and harmful creatures out of are fruits and vegetables. Meanwhile we must wash off all the plants and fruits before we ingest them into our systems, due to the harmful chemicals from the pesticide residue. The negative affects the chemicals can do to the human body are food poisoning. Vomiting or bleeding of the stomach can cause severe damage to the body, leaving one in shock and uncomforted.

The changing environment is everyone’s issue. No one academic discipline has any more jurisdiction over the way we need to be approaching these problems. Every person, and living thing for that matter, on this planet should be able to have some say in how we should be addressing these issues. Carson makes the idea of unity between different backgrounds clear through the use of many supplemental anecdotes to get her point across, all of which work at different angles to try and reach a broader audience. Carson introduces references to “the sorceress Medea” and she created a robe to give the wearer to suffer “violent death” (32). Carson relates this Greek myth to systematic insecticides, which forces the intended audience to view the issues brought on by DDT, a harsh chemical, through a different perspective. Carson is trying to reach a larger audience because of the broad nature of the issues at hand. Everyone needs to be able to feel the urgency of the issues

Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring is still today as controversial, groundbreaking, and relevant as it was when it was first published in 1962. The book argues that uncontrolled and unexamined pesticide use harms and even kills not only animals, but humans too. Carson documents the negative effects of pesticides on the environment. The text includes strong accusations against the chemical industry and a call to look at how the use of chemicals can cause damage and impact the world around us. The book’s intended audience is the general public because Carson wants to bring the problem of harmful pesticide use to everyone’s attention. She also successfully demonstrates the fragility of the biodiversity on the planet and emphasizes how chemical use can have large repercussions.

Next to air, water is no doubt the most essential element to human life as the body cannot usually survive longer than several days without. Not only is water essential to every single cell and organ in the body, it makes up two-thirds of the weight of the human body.