1. Pesticides

2. Pesticides -Pros and Cons
Kill unwanted pests that carry disease (rats, mosquitoes, Tse-Tse flies)
Increase food supplies
More food means food is less expensive
Effective and fast-acting
Newer pesticides are safer, more specific
Reduces labor costs on farms
Food looks better
Agriculture is more profitable
Accumulate in food chain
Pests develop resistance – 500 species so far
Resistance creates pesticide treadmill
Estimates are $5-10 in damage done for $1 spent on pesticide
Pesticide runoff
Destroy bees - $200 million
Threaten endangered species
Affect egg shell of birds
5% actually reach pest
~20,000 human deaths/year

3. Types of Pesticides Biological – Ladybugs, parasitic wasps, etc.
Carbamates effect nervous system of pests more water soluble than chlorinated hydrocarbons
Aldicarb, aminocarb, carbaryl (Sevin), carbofuran, Mirex
Chlorinated Hydrocarbons affect nervous system –
Aldrin, Chlordane, DDT, dieldrin, kepone and toxaphene

4. Fumigants are used to sterilize soil and prevent grain infestation
Organophosphates – extremely toxic, rapidly absorbed, low persistence
Malathion, parathion

5. Types of Pesticides Inorganic – arsenic, copper, lead, mercury
Highly toxic and bioaccumulation
Organic or natural – derived from plants such as tobacco and chrysanthemum

6. Chlorinated Hydrocarbons (organochlorines)
DDT, aldrin, dieldrine, chlordane and toxaphene
Affect the nervous system of pest
Remain in ecosystem 15+ years
Highly persistent, fat soluble, and subject to biomagnification
Nearly all have been banned

7. Carbamates Are used as insecticides, herbicides and fungicides
effect nervous system of pests
More water soluble than chlorinated hydrocarbons – which means greater risks of dissolving in surface water or percolating into groundwater
100 grams has the same effect as 2,000 grams chlorinated hydrocarbons
Examples: Aldicarb(Temik), aminocarb, carbaryl (Sevin), carbofuran, Mirex

8. Aldicarb
Potato growers on eastern Long Island used Aldicarb from 1975 – 1979 to control the Colorado potato beetle and the golden nematode. In 1979, Aldicarb residues were detected in well water. Subsequent testing found more than 2,000 wells with very high concentrations. It was banned in New York. In 1984 areas with deep wells were found to have increased levels from 1979 levels wells are still contaminated above state guidelines. Aldicard has been found in groundwater in 26 other states.

9. Gaseous pesticides use to sterilize soil and prevent pest infestation of stored grains. Used on grain weevils, beetles and moth catepillars. Comparable to “mustard gases” used in WWII. Phosphine is the most popular today – others are carbon tetrachloride and methyl bromide
Fumigants
Methyl Bromide was banned in 2005 due to it’s damage to the ozone layer.

10. Inorganic
Broad-based pesticides. Includes arsenic, copper, lead, mercury. Highly toxic and accumulates in the environment.

11. Organic or Natural Pesticides
Natural poisons derived from plants such as tobacco or chrysanthemum.
Neem
Ingredients: Contains 2 ingredients, azadirachtin (AZA0 and liminoids, both from the seed kernels of the neem tree fruit.
Application: Sprayed onto plant leaves.
How It Works: Upsets the insects hormonal system and prevents it from developing to its mature stage. Most effective on immature insects and species that undergo complete metamorphosis.
Pros: Non-toxic to humans
Cons: Washes away in rain. Slow acting. Breaks down in sunlight Indiscriminate pesticide
Precautions: Keep pets from treated leaves until they dry.

12. Organic Pesticides Pyrethrins
Ingredients: Derived from Chrysanthemum cinerariifolium
Application: Generally found in powder form and dusted on leaves.
How It Works: Poisons the insect, causing a quick death
Pros: Quick acting. Low toxicity to animals. Degrades within a day.
Cons: Broad spectrum insecticide. Kills any insect. Very toxic to honeybees
Precautions: Use cautiously, only when you have a major problem with hard-to-kill insects.

13. Organic or Natural Pesticides
Rotenone
Ingredients: Derived from the roots of tropical legumes (derris plant)
Application: Dust onto plant – originally used to kill fish. Kills potato beetles and cabbage worms. Used on chickens to kill mites
How It Works: Inhibits a cellular process, depriving insects of oxygen in their tissue cells.
Pros: Low residual effect. Breaks down quickly in sunlight.
Cons: Broad spectrum pesticide
Precautions: Apply in the evening, when bees are less active.

14. Malathion and Parthion
Organophosphates
Malathion and Parthion
Extremely toxic but only remains in the environment for a brief amount of time.
Effects the central nervous system by interfering with the enzyme cholinesterase.

15. Biological Pest Control
A knowledgeable gardener knows that each of those cocoons will hatch into a beneficial parasitic wasp - an organic control for more than just horn worms.

16. Major Kinds of Herbicides
Selective Herbicides
Kill only certain types of plants
Can be classified to the type of plant they kill
Broad-leaf herbicides
Grass herbicides
Ex: 2,4-D
Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid
common systemic pesticide / herbicide used in the control of broadleaf weeds

17. Risk of Pesticides to Human Health
Short-term Effects of Pesticides
Handling food with pesticide residue
Mild case: nausea, vomiting, headaches
Severe case: damage to nervous system,

18. Risk of Pesticides to Human Health
Long-term Effects of Pesticides
Cancer- lymphoma
Breast cancer
Sterility
Miscarriage
Birth defects
Decreases body’s ability to fight infection
Potential connection to Parkinson’s disease

19. Laws Controlling Pesticide Use
Food, Drug, and Cosmetics Act (1938)
Pesticide Chemicals Amendment (1954)
Delaney Clause (1958) (a zero cancer risk standard)
Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (1947) federal control of pesticide distribution, sale, and use
Food Quality Protection Act (1996)

20. Adapted from power point by Ms. Marosy