Should we still be using pesticides
on food?
This
research paper seeks to ask if food corporations should still be using
pesticides on food. The debate on this topic is that pesticides are safe on food
and their consumption, while the opposition is that pesticides are unsafe for
the farmer to be in close contact, and unsafe for the consumer. This paper
takes the position that organic food—those that are not sprayed with
pesticides—are not affected by pests or suffer any consequences without
spraying pesticides. Moreover, this paper points to the most substantial
objections to the argument and refutes the notion that pesticides are at low
levels in the food we eat, that organic food in the United States is not any
better as far as health, and refute that pesticides prevent crop loss. The
paper concludes on a summary of the positions taken within the paper and
alternatives to pesticides.
Pesticides
are widely used in modern agriculture with the purpose of preventing pests that
eat and destroy crops, thus the pesticides kill pests to prevent crop loss (Chouinard, Firlej, & Cormier,
2016.) In
fact, the purpose of pesticides is to kill, which has been the most common
method (Chouinard, Firlej, & Cormier,
2016.) Alternatives to pesticides will be discussed in the conclusion, but the
message in this paper is not to discourage anyone from eating fruits and
vegetables—even if they’re not organic or do not comply with the Dirty Dozen and Clean 15 lists. Furthermore, this paper encourages everyone to eat
more fruits and vegetables than any other food, but this paper is also
encouraging the public to demand better quality (not quantity) of food. Below
is an outline of myths made about pesticides and the excuses adopted which will
be further refuted.
MYTH
1
There are low levels of pesticides in the food we eat
is the first argument discussed in the paper that will be refuted. All around
us there are different levels of various chemicals, carcinogens, toxins, and
heavy metals in the air, water, soil, and food, but that doesn’t excuse the
continued use of pesticides on food. Karen Congro (2012) found that apples and celery have the
highest levels of pesticides at 40 and 64 different pesticides. Even “blueberries
are sprayed with 52 pesticides, including boscalid and pyraclostrobin, which
are toxic to the human liver and thyroid and can irritate the skin in high
doses” (Congro, 2012, p. 30.) Sweet peppers, strawberries, and pears have
significant traces of various pesticides and all contain more than 10 hormone
disruptors (Congro,
2012.)
Furthermore,
much of the research known about food is that plants absorb the participles in
the air, water, sun, and soil. Thus, harvested plants will contain the
pesticides that are sprayed on them, and reabsorbed in the plant by the
pesticide residue in the water, air, and soil. Robin Mathers (2015) in The Threats from Genetically Modified Food
contends that due
to run off, even pesticides used by home gardeners affect habitats. For
instance, with the recommended application of Roundup of home gardeners, one
study found that the pesticide was responsible for the death of 86% of the
frogs studied in one day (Mathers, 2015.) The same study found that 98% of
tadpoles were killed as well—even at a third of the recommended application of
Roundup. Thus, this ingredient and the other chemicals found in pesticides are
widespread, reaching across all states, especially rural areas, which will
continue to have devastating effects on the environment we share with other
life.
The active ingredient Glyphosate in
pesticides are widely used among other companies (Mathers, 2015.) Consequently,
the active ingredient in Monsanto’s Roundup pesticide has been “linked to birth
defects in birds and amphibians, cancer, endocrine disruption, damage to DNA,
reproductive and developmental damage in mammals, even at very low doses”
(Mathers, 2015, p. 92.) Once the Roundup is applied around the food crops, the
pesticide residue leaks into the soil and water affecting various habitats and
life (Mathers, 2015.) Eight international studies showed that the Glyphosate in
pesticides caused malformations in animals (Mathers, 2015.) Danny Hakim (2016) in
Doubts About the Promised
Bounty of Genetically Modified Crops, agrees that there are developmental
affects linked from pesticide exposure. Hakim (2016) states that Roundup
contains a chemical 2,4-D, which is found in Agent Orange—a chemical weapon
used in the Vietnam War. Although this says little to the understanding of how
these chemicals are used—the fact is, the purpose of Roundup is to kill weeds
and other pesticides are used for killing other life. The act of killing is a
paradigm in our culture—whether it’s the food system, or the prison system.
Additionally, we know that the
method of spraying pesticides, are not always reaching the weeds or crops, and
instead disperses in the air. Jane Goodall (2005) in Harvest for Hope says that 0.1% of applied pesticides only reach
the target pests. Thus, the chemicals are dispersed in the air, environment,
frogs, and other innocent bystanders which can cause malformations (Goodall,
2005.)
MYTH
2
Organic food in the United States is
not any better than nonorganic is one of the arguments
that takes a more defensive approach. Some research has found “chemical, botanical, microbial,
physical, predatory, parasitic” killing agents are present in both organic and
conventional cropping system (Chouinard, Firlej, & Cormier, 2016, p. 13.) Even if the Dirty Dozen and Clean 15 is a myth, that
does not invalidate the argument that pesticides should not continue to be used.
Even though there may be little nutritional difference in organic and
conventionally grown produce, organic foods still reduce consumer’s exposure to
pesticides (Congro, 2012.) If organic and nonorganic food crops are not
nutritionally different and have no difference in health risks (Congro, 2012),
this is a call for attention of the overall problems with the industrial food
system. Farming has become mechanized into an industrial system, disconnecting
us from a relationship with how food is grown (Pollan, 2008.)
Consequently, Steve
Savage of “How Wrong Is the Latest ‘Dirty
Dozen List’?” states that of the 2.2 million rows of information in Excel
covering pesticides of food commodities, the analytical techniques used by the
scientists detected less than 1% of the rows had traces of pesticide residue.
That percentage equated to 15,450 rows of foods that detected pesticide residue
(Savage, 2013.) Additionally, Savage states that there were only 0.18% of
pesticide residues found that were higher than the EPA tolerance for all 21
commodities tested from 2011—half of which were 100 times lower than EPA’s
conservative tolerance levels. Both Savage (2013) and Congro (2012) agree that
there is still little to
no long-term research conducted on organic farming.
The EPA (2016) has a list of
pesticide research studies under the “Guidance for Human Health
Risk Assessments for Pesticides”. But this is not a list of potential research
on the safety of pesticides in food and the environment and the potential
effects this may have. Instead, the research studies are proper methods, standard operating
procedures, risk and exposure assessments, establishing alternative approaches,
and recommended exposure to pesticides (EPA, 2016.) But once again, continual
research will need to be reviewed from independent studies on the safety of
pesticides.
Again, the food science ends up
missing the big picture of how food crops should be grown. As Michael Pollan
puts it In Defense of Food, the food science culture sells
nutrition while undermining the food culture. The food science industry that
claims the safety of GMOs and pesticides, also use chemical fertilizers to grow
plants more quickly. This is a triad of questionable scientific methods of
growing food. Despite the safety claim, this is not a true understanding of the
complexity of plants and how are body processes the chemicals or nutrition in
those plants. The safety of
pesticides on humans aside, there is a link between pesticide use and the
degradation of the environment and habitats, thus the health of the soil,
plants, and animals are all connected (Pollan, 2008.)
MYTH
3
Pesticide use prevents crop loss
is one of the most substantial objections to the argument. Notice that weeds are
continuing to build up a resistance to pesticides, to what we call a ‘superweed.’
Thus, more pesticides must be sprayed on the weeds, which reaches the food
crops. Additionally, pests like insects are also building a resistance to
pesticides (Goodall, 2005.) Likewise, when pesticides are overused, bacteria in
the soil also becomes resistant (Goodall, 2005.) As mentioned, Glyphosate is
the active ingredient in pesticides that are widely used throughout the world,
which potentially is a predisposing factor of disease and toxins on plants
(Mathers, 2015, p. 92.) The ingredient could significantly cause plant
diseases, instead of preventing crop loss. In fact, two Purdue scientists
contend that the ingredient potentially could increase various plant diseases
while impairing plants’ defense of pathogens (Mathers, 2015, p. 92.) Likewise,
pesticides can immobilize soil and plant nutrients, rendering them unavailable
for plant use (Mathers, 2015, p. 92.)
The
United Nations found that the US and Canada have not increased their crop
yields per acre of food compared to France and Germany that are reducing their
pesticide use (Hakim, 2016.) In fact, the US and Canada have not increased crop
yields, nor have they attributed to a reduction in pesticide use which was the
promise of genetically modified foods (Hakim, 2016.) According to the United
States Geological Survey, the use of toxins killing insects and fungi have fallen
by a third on crops like corn, cotton, and soybeans from two decades ago in the
US (Hakim, 2016.) This is promising in a sense, but, the use of herbicides have
increased 21% from two decades ago in the US (Hakim, 2016.) What’s worse, herbicides
are used at much higher volumes, while France has decreased the use of
insecticides and fungicides by 65%, and herbicides by 36% (Hakim, 2016.)
Food corporations is a similar
mechanized system that packages food from a mechanized agriculture system. But
the system is not efficient in the sense that food reaches all people—and in
fact the system is so mechanized, that there is food waste while there are
starving people. So the argument to continue to use pesticides because it
prevents crop loss is for one inaccurate, but also does not count for the many
crops that are lost in between the farm and to the community considering there
is food waste. How is pesticides solving this systematic issue? And let’s be
clear, when we talk about the world’s crop harvest overall, almost half is fed
to animals to be fattened and eaten (Goodall, 2005.) How is pesticides fixing
this system?
Alternatives
to pesticides include simple methods such as exclusion barriers such as netting
and garden cloths (Chouinard,
Firlej, & Cormier, 2016.) Another alternative is Permaculture methods where
self-pollinating and perennial crops are used with an emphasis on biodiversity.
Biodiversity builds a stronger resistance to plant diseases, pathogens, and
pests. Some people know that strong and healthy plants (ones grown in compost)
are able to resist pests because they have built a health immunity within the
plants. Actually, it is the weakening of the plants that attracts pests because
the plants put off hormones that signals when they are dying, and either other
plants aid the plant by exchanging nutrients, or pests attack the plant to
feed.
Consequently, the use of pesticides
will only increase as weeds become resistant to the pesticide, thus there will
be higher levels of pesticides in the foods we eat. Additionally, the cost of
food will increase as the use of pesticides increase. Potentially this could
hurt farmers that must buy their own pesticide products. Based on the success
of France Germany that have reduced pesticide use, the US potentially will have
similar success considering our food system is increasing in crop yield while
using spraying more pesticides. Although the US is reducing insecticide and
fungicide use, herbicide use has increased by 21%. Once again, the research is
divided on the safety of pesticides in the environment (soil, habitats, water,
air,) animals, and humans. However, we do know that pesticides are not
necessary, costly, and potentially are linked to much of the environmental
degradation along with the many harmful industrialized methods of the modern
food system.
References
Chouinard,
Firlej, & Cormier. (2016). Going beyond sprays and killing agents:
Exclusion, sterilization and disruption for insect pest control in pome and
stone fruit orchards. Scientia Horticulturae, 208, 13-27.
Congro,
K. (2012). The Argument for Organic Food Lies Beyond the Nutrients. Alternative
Medicine, (7), 29-30,32.
Goodall,
J., et al. (2005). Harvest for
hope: A guide to mindful eating. New York: Warner Books. Chapter Three.
Hakim, Danny. (2016). Doubts About the Promised Bounty
of Genetically Modified Crops in The New York Times.
Mather,
Robin. (2015). The Threats from Genetically Modified Food in FOOD: A READER FOR WRITERS by Aquiline,
D., & Holdstein, D. H., p. 86-99.
Pollan,
M. (2008). In defense of food: An eater's manifesto. New York: Penguin
Press.
Savage, Steve. (2013). “How Wrong Is the Latest ‘Dirty
Dozen’ List?” Science 2.0. ION Publications LLC.
US Environmental Protection Agency. (2016). Guidance
for Human Health Risk Assessments for Pesticides. Web. https://www.epa.gov/pesticide-science-and-assessing-pesticide-risks/guidance-human-health-risk-assessments-pesticides#expsoure
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