{"id":118900,"date":"2023-12-07T16:37:00","date_gmt":"2023-12-07T20:37:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=118900"},"modified":"2023-12-13T16:44:22","modified_gmt":"2023-12-13T20:44:22","slug":"harmful-effects-of-pesticides-on-humans","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/harmful-effects-of-pesticides-on-humans\/","title":{"rendered":"The Harmful Effects of Pesticides on Humans and Animals"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

What are the harmful effects of pesticides on humans? What can pesticides do to insects and animals?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Silent Spring<\/a><\/em>, Rachel Carson warns that pesticides will do more damage to your health than good. Common effects of pesticide spraying on insects, animals, and humans can include nerve damage and convulsions, vomiting, diarrhea, fever, difficulty breathing, and mass death.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Find out more about how pesticides are negatively affecting you and other species.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Specific Effects of Pesticides<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Though pesticides have yet to devastate human populations the way they have insects, birds, fish, small mammals, and livestock, Carson gives multiple examples of government-sponsored spraying campaigns that resulted in hospitalizations. The 1959 spraying of aldrin over parts of Michigan and the 1954 and 1960 spraying of dieldrin in Illinois both sickened people and killed large numbers of birds, cats, rabbits, and squirrels, despite federal and local Agriculture Departments\u2019 insistence that the chemicals were safe. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Shortform note: The EPA completely banned the use of aldrin and dieldrin in 1987<\/a>\u2014prior to that, the chemicals were still being used to control termites. Despite greater attention being paid to pesticides in recent decades, mass poisoning incidents<\/a> like the ones Carson describes still occur, and at least tens of thousands of people<\/a> die following exposure every year<\/a>. These chemicals also continue to wipe out entire animal communities<\/a>.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beyond the documented reactions to pesticides, Carson argues that there\u2019s evidence pesticides can sterilize humans, cause genetic damage, and increase the risk of cancer. She also warns that pesticides may have additional harmful effects that won\u2019t become apparent for years to come. We\u2019ll discuss these harmful effects of pesticides on humans and animals in detail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sterilization and Genetic Damage<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

An effect of spraying that\u2019s not immediately obvious is pesticides\u2019 ability to sterilize or greatly reduce a species\u2019 capacity to reproduce<\/strong>. Birds and fish sprayed with pesticides either fail to lay eggs, or those eggs never develop. Livestock like pigs, cows, or sheep carry fewer babies to term, and those that are born are often sickly and die young. Carson notes that testing of the bodies and the undeveloped eggs has shown that they contain large quantities of chemicals like aldrin and dieldrin. Ultimately, even animals that survive spraying will struggle to build their populations up to former levels and may die out entirely in a few generations. It\u2019s not clear whether pesticides can also impair humans\u2019 ability to reproduce.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Shortform note: Pesticides\u2019 negative impact on the fertility of birds<\/a> and insects<\/a> is now well documented, and the evidence increasingly suggests that certain chemicals can similarly affect humans<\/a>\u2014particularly men<\/a>\u2014by disrupting the functioning of the endocrine system<\/a>. Studies have also linked pesticides to miscarriages and birth defects<\/a>. Evidence suggests that other environmental pollutants may also interfere with fertility<\/a>, which could partially account for declining birth rates worldwide<\/a> in the 21st century.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Carson believes that these reproductive issues are linked to pesticides\u2019 ability to damage species\u2019 DNA<\/strong> by interrupting cellular division (the process by which cells reproduce) and cellular oxidation (the process by which cells produce energy). Some cells die off, while others produce dangerous mutations in new cells. For example, plants sprayed with lindane produced offspring containing extra chromosomes in their DNA, resulting in plant roots so swollen that further growth was impossible. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Shortform note: Cellular damage has been observed in a wide number of plant species<\/a> treated with pesticides over the past half-century<\/a>, though this generally leads to wilting or the plant dying<\/a> rather than the overgrowth Carson describes. Recent studies suggest that pesticides can have the same effects on humans<\/a>, particularly agricultural workers<\/a> who have direct regular contact with chemicals like 2,4-D, glyphosate<\/a>, paraquat, and acephate. Though the long-term effects of this damage are not certain, scientists speculate that people exposed may develop chronic diseases of the lung, pancreas, liver, or brain, as well as various cancers.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cancer<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Carson argues that pesticides\u2019 ability to damage cells and DNA also makes them carcinogenic<\/strong>, or cancer-causing. Cancer cells reproduce out of control to the point that they impair the body\u2019s normal functioning. This can be caused by genetic mutations, interruptions to cellular oxidation, or liver damage (since the liver regulates the body\u2019s hormone levels), all of which are potential effects of pesticide poisoning. Lab testing has shown several chemicals commonly used in pesticides, such as arsenic, benzene, and urethane, to be definitely carcinogenic, as is DDT. Carson points out that cases of liver disease and cancer have been on the rise in the US since the early 1950s, around the same time that pesticide use exploded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Shortform note: In the decades since Carson\u2019s own death from breast cancer<\/a>, several pesticides have been found to \u201clikely\u201d be carcinogenic, though human data is limited<\/a>. These include lindane<\/a>, chlordane<\/a>, dieldrin<\/a>, and possibly 2,4-D. Though the death rate from cancer has declined<\/a> in the 21st century, cancer diagnoses are on the rise<\/a>, particularly among people under the age of 50. The reason for the rise is unclear, though experts suggest that it could be a combination of exposure to pollutants and lifestyle factors<\/a> like alcohol abuse or poor diet.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unknown Effects<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Because the widespread use of pesticides was still new at the time of Carson\u2019s writing\u2014about two decades old\u2014Carson repeatedly emphasizes that the worst effects of pesticides may still be unknown,<\/strong> as some health issues can take multiple generations to surface. While the increasing rates of liver disease and cancer may be early warning signs, pesticides may also do long-term nerve damage, impair the body\u2019s ability to store fat, or even cause mental illness<\/a>. Pesticide poisoning seems to affect some people more than others, and repeated exposures lead to worse reactions\u2014meaning that children may be especially vulnerable, and people who appear healthy now could become seriously ill in the coming decades. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Shortform note: Though there\u2019s little evidence that pesticides prevent fat storage long-term\u2014in fact, some scientists suspect that pesticides may actually contribute to growing global obesity rates<\/a>\u2014modern studies have linked pesticides to mood disorders<\/a> and neurological disorders like Alzheimer\u2019s<\/a> and Parkinson\u2019s<\/a>. Beyond pesticides, in recent years many researchers have expressed anxieties similar to Carson\u2019s about microplastics. These tiny plastic particles are present in the body of nearly every person on Earth<\/a>, and may have negative health effects that will only become apparent years or even decades into the future.)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

What are the harmful effects of pesticides on humans? What can pesticides do to insects and animals? In Silent Spring, Rachel Carson warns that pesticides will do more damage to your health than good. Common effects of pesticide spraying on insects, animals, and humans can include nerve damage and convulsions, vomiting, diarrhea, fever, difficulty breathing, and mass death. Find out more about how pesticides are negatively affecting you and other species.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":119166,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[16,160],"tags":[1342],"class_list":["post-118900","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health","category-science","tag-silent-spring","","tg-column-two"],"yoast_head":"\nThe Harmful Effects of Pesticides on Humans and Animals - Shortform Books<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Pesticide chemicals are linked to cancer, sterilization, and more. 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