By: Muhsin Ameen Malik
The chemical burden on natural ecosystems has increased as agriculture has grown more industrialised. Pesticide use in agriculture has increased due to the fast-growing human population, which is anticipated to reach 8.5 billion by 2030, generating worries about its influence on food security. Pesticides are agrochemicals used to protect humans and plants from a variety of illnesses. They are sprayed on agricultural areas, public health efforts, and urban green spaces.
Using pesticides to eliminate weeds and pests is an important part of agricultural practice in both advanced and developing nations. There is no question that it has enhanced crop yields while decreasing post-harvest losses. The residue in food raises significant concern about the detrimental effects of these substances on humans. Their side effects, on the other hand, have been shown to have a wide spectrum of negative health and environmental consequences, making them a substantial environmental health risk factor.
Agricultural workers are clearly the most exposed to pesticides. Pesticides may represent the highest risk of substantial hazardous exposure. Pesticides are widely used in agriculture across the world. These compounds are used to manage weeds, pests, and a variety of other microorganisms in the agricultural industry. Pesticides can be absorbed by plants or are synthetic. Pesticides serve an important function in maintaining crop yields in agricultural fields.
They may include herbicides, fungicides, insecticides, plant growth regulators, and so on. Numerous insecticides, including organochlorine (OC), effectively controlled numerous illnesses such as typhus and malaria but were later outlawed in sophisticated nations, and alternative pesticides were created throughout time. Initially, they were supposed to be fatal to pests but not people. However, the compounds had features that indicated negative effects on human health and the environment.
Pesticides kill around 1 million people each year and cause chronic illnesses across the world. Many workers in third-world countries use large amounts of pesticides in agricultural operations, including chemicals that are absolutely prohibited in industrialized countries. Pesticides have the potential to harm animals, plants, humans, and even the ecosystem if applied inappropriately and with excessive human exposure.
Pesticide exposure can occur through four routes: the skin (dermal), the lungs (inhalation), the mouth (oral), or the eyes. Pesticides have the potential to harm animals, plants, humans, and even the ecosystem if applied inappropriately and with excessive human exposure. Pesticide exposure can occur through four routes: the skin (dermal), the lungs (inhalation), the mouth (oral), or the eyes. Pesticides remain in the flora and penetrate the food chain, where they reach the blood and organ systems.
Pesticides can have both acute and chronic impacts. Acute health impacts are those that occur after a single exposure of a human or animal to a substance and endure for a brief period of time. Chemicals can enter the receiver’s body through the mouth, skin, lungs, and eyes. Chronic consequences relate to prolonged exposure that causes long-term issues. It comprises a variety of conditions, such as mental disorders, reproductive changes, genetic consequences, tumours, and more. Problems have arisen with occupational worker exposure, particularly in fieldwork.
Pesticides pose significant health risks to farmers who mix and apply pesticides in fields, as well as personnel involved in the pesticide manufacturing process. The general populace is also exposed when pesticides are combined with water and food. The majority of the farmers are unaware of the pesticide’s possible toxicities. They have little or no information about types of pesticides, their level of poisoning, hazards, and safety measures to be taken before use of those pesticides.
Despite this, harmful and biologically persistent chemicals are used to destroy pests and can also result in deliberate, accidental, or occupational exposure. These compounds have a long-term impact on human health. The people who are at high risk and are more exposed to pesticides include production workers, formulators, sprayers, mixers, loaders, and agricultural farm workers.
The probability of hazards can be higher during manufacture and formulation since the procedures involved are not risk-free. Workers are at increased risk in industrial settings as they handle various toxic chemicals, including pesticides, raw materials, toxic solvents, and inert carriers. Pesticide exposure and poisoning are major problems among Indian farming communities.
Exposure and poisoning pose a danger not only to farmers but also to farm labourers, women, children, and consumers. Among all, pregnant women and children are the most vulnerable groups when they work with pesticides in the field, working in sprayed fields, moving along or playing near sprayed fields, and through food and drinks contaminated by pesticide residues.
People living in agricultural areas have more exposure to pesticides by inhaling spray blows of pesticides in urban areas, parks, or homes after breathing contaminated air. Farmers and their families may be exposed to pesticides more than the general population. Pesticides have been linked to a variety of ailments, including cancer, leukemia, and asthma.
The health risk of pesticide exposure is determined by the degree of exposure and the ingredient’s toxicity. Furthermore, some people, such as youngsters, pregnant women, and the elderly, may be more sensitive to pesticide exposure than others. According to studies conducted on workers, 21% of employees (N = 356) at four HCH manufacturing sites in India experienced neurological symptoms. These symptoms were linked to the degree of exposure.
The National Institute of Occupational Health assessed the toxicity risk associated with field application of the carbamate herbicide methomyl. Data on reproductive toxicity were collected from 1,106 couples whose males had been exposed to pesticides (OC, OP, and carbamates) while working in cotton fields. Pesticide particles typically enter the circulation; therefore, exposure via the respiratory system may be detrimental. Inhalation is an option for dealing with powders, airborne droplets or mists, and vapors.
When low-pressure application equipment is used, the risk of inhaling droplets is reduced since the particles are too large to stay suspended in the air long enough to cause injury. However, the risk of inhalation may rise if pesticides are sprayed using high-pressure, ultra-low volume, or fogging equipment, since the small droplets produced during these operations may linger and travel a considerable distance in the air.
Pesticide labels with a high risk of inhalation include directions for using a mask. Several studies have looked at the effect of pesticide exposure on cancer risk. There have been links reported between leukemia, lymphoma, brain cancer, kidney cancer, breast cancer, pancreatic cancer, liver cancer, lung cancer, and skin cancer. This elevated risk occurs in both domestic and occupational settings. Cancer rates have been found to rise among agricultural workers who use these pesticides. The mother’s occupational exposure to pesticides during pregnancy increases her baby’s chance of acquiring leukaemia, Wilms tumour, and brain cancer. Pesticide exposure in the house and outdoor herbicides have been related to blood cancer in youngsters.
Some pesticides may interfere with female hormone activity, causing a negative influence on reproductive health. Several studies have investigated oestrogen and androgen receptor interference. Most pesticides containing organophosphorus chemicals affect the male reproductive system by reducing sperm activity (number, motility, viability, and density), suppressing sperm production, reducing testicular weight, and damaging sperm DNA.
Synthetic pesticides are used to manage weeds and insect pests that damage agricultural systems. Water, soil, and air are significant mediums for pesticide transmission from one location to another. Organochlorine pesticides are the most toxic of all pesticide types due to their slow rate of decomposition, increased stability, and lengthy half-life. These problems affect each ecosystem and are damaging to all connected creatures.
To regulate pesticide consumption, new procedures and strategies for analysing the impact of extensive pesticide use on ecosystems are required, as are attempts to raise public awareness about the use of toxic pesticides. Biopesticides should be preferred over chemical pesticides.
The devastation can be mitigated by using a less toxic formulation or a lower dosage of a hazardous formulation. Reducing the use of pesticide techniques will not help us preserve human health because there are so many different pesticides available on the market. In this circumstance, individuals must advocate for ecologically friendly farming.
This is a vital step in avoiding all of the hazards involved. It is critical to transmit the notion that preventing bad health impacts is a worthwhile investment for businesses and employees as part of a long-term economic growth strategy. There is a need to create and disseminate health education packages based on awareness, aptitude, and experiences to reduce human exposure to pesticides within the population. Keeping in mind the alarming increase in the number of cancer patients in Kashmir, every farmer should wear protective masks, goggles, and jackets that cover their entire body when spraying pesticides.
The writer is a Teacher. Malikmuhsin92@gmail.com
