Pesticides and Herbicides

I've always known the risks of Pesticides and how they are often harmful humans. I never really knew in detail what they could do, but I sure do now. The Ohio State Pesticide User Guide says, "Exposure to some pesticides, particularly the organophosphates, destroys important enzymes in the nervous system. Repeated exposure may, without producing symptoms, progressively increase susceptibility to poisoning. Applicators using phosphate pesticides should get a preexposure check (usually a blood test for cholinesterase enzyme activity) and periodic checking during the spray season to determine the extent of exposure." This means that some pesticides effect how prone you are to being poisoned. So not only does it poison you, it makes you more likely to get poisoned in the future.

You may have heard of Agent Orange, and if you don't know what it it/was, it was an Herbicide or Defoliant used by the U.S. Military during the Vietnam War. Agent Orange, along with other agents (Green, Pink, etc.) were chemicals used to take the leaves off of trees. These products were also around for personal use, but their main use was in Vietnam. They may not have known the effects of this product on humans then, but they sure do now. They know that it can cause mental retardation, physical deformities, cancer and scores of other horrible effects. This and other defoliants or herbicides can have terrible effects on humans and should be used with great precaution.




http://ohioline.osu.edu/b745/b745_4.html
http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/health/human.htm
http://www.thewe.cc/weplanet/asia/vietnam/agent_orange_deformites.htm
http://earthhopenetwork.net/the_legacy_of_agent_orange.htm
http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/d/defoliants_and_herbicides/index.html?query=DIOXIN%20(CHEMICAL)&field=des&match=exact