Discuss about the Environmental Health Effects .
The pesticides are chemical substance that is used in agricultural activities that help to reduce the adverse effects of pest and other harmful insects that have the ability to cause harm to the crops. The destruction that is caused due to the effects of pests and insects in the crops can result in financial loss of the farmers and the economic loss of the nation. In Canada, the agricultural products have a significant part of the GDP of the nation. According to MacFadyen (2014), the total value of the agricultural products in Canada is estimated to be 1,600 million dollars. The trade and the marketing economics of the country are dependent on the performance of the agricultural performance of the nation. There is a wide range of business products that are dependent on the agricultural products that are dependent on the agricultural products, which also suffers due to the loss in the agricultural products. Hence, the loss in the agricultural sector due to the action of pests can cause economic crisis of the nation.
Hence, in order to avoid the consequence of economic loss due to poor production of agricultural products, it is important to use the pesticides and ensure that no crops are harmed from pest attacks. The pesticides destroy the pests mainly by inhibiting the enzyme activity by protein denaturation mechanism. It can also destroy the immune system of the pests thereby causing their death. Over the years these products have been found to be very helpful for farmers, as their tension of their crops getting affected by pests were reduced. As a result, production increased to a large extent, leading to significant profit margins. In the recent studies, however, the scientists have identified several drawbacks and negative effects that are associated with the use of pesticides (Edwards, 2013). The chemical agents that are used in the pesticides can even cause harm to foods that are produced from the agriculture. The consumption of those foods can cause physiological harm to human and may effect in the chronic disease. Moreover, it can cause harm to the mental and physical development of young children.
There has been huge controversy over the use of pesticides within Canada due to the environmental loss that it caused. This following report below will shed light on the various aspects of pesticides and how it has resulted in several diseases among different animals of every class. It is very much essential for deciding whether the banning of pesticides would be feasible or not.
The stakeholders are the people, who are involved in a system and play a significant role in the operation of the system. The decision taken by the stakeholders and the duty they perform a major impact on the function of the system. The influence of the stakeholders can have huge impact in the goal achievement process.
The farmers are most important stakeholders, who are involved in the use of production of agricultural materials. As the use of pesticides are an important in the growth of the crops that is needed to avoid the loss in the agricultural products. The farmers come in direct contact with the use of the pesticide products, and thus they have the risk of facing the direct impact on the use of pesticides. According to the study done by Mostafalou and Abdollahi (2013), the direct use of chemical pesticides without taking proper protection can have adverse effects on the skin. The short and long term effect level of exposure to pesticides can cause the farmers to several physiological problems that even can lead to death. As the farmers come to direct contact with the pesticides, there is high risk that the chemicals can enter the body and cause severe damage to the internal organs and can also result in skin burn disease.
The agricultural companies are other major stakeholders of the use of pesticides. In order to meet the rising demand for the agricultural products, all the major agricultural firms are forced to make use of the chemical fertilizers and pesticides to minimize the damage that is caused due to the pest activity. However, it is the duty of the agricultural firms to ensure that the farmers, who come in direct contact with the chemical pesticides, take adequate protection by using protective gloves and masks that help will prevent the chemical agents to enter the body (Sarwar, 2015). The environmental pollution is one of the major adverse effects that is related to the use of chemical pesticides. The soil of the agricultural fields can absorb the pesticides and thereby have the potential to contaminate the underground water and the local water bodies. Moreover, as the pesticides have denaturing agent for destroying the enzymatic activity of the pests, it can also cause harm to useful bacteria that helps to tarp nitrogen in the soil needed for the growth of the plants. Hence, the use of chemical pesticides can have adverse effects on the ecological balance of a region. The natural organic minerals that are present in the soil can also be destroyed with the use of excessive chemical pesticides. Moreover, Messing et al. (2013), have mentioned that the use of chemical pesticides can also deplete the nutritional value of the of the food and cause chemical contamination.
Another important stakeholder involved in the pesticide debate are the food retailers who are directly or indirectly associated with the farmers, as they purchase the food products produced by the farmers. As there is rise of high quality agricultural foods in the market, the retail companies have the deal with the shortage of supply that is directly linked to the use of chemical pesticides. As the farmers face the pressure of food production they are forced to use the chemical pesticides in order to increase the productivity. Nevertheless, with the increase of rising of health concern among the public, it is important the food retailers focus on the matter of quality of food that is being sold in the market. As the use of chemical pesticides can cause contamination of the food, it is essential for the farmers to make controlled use of the chemical pesticides. Bradbury et al.,(2014), have mentioned about the importance of the use of organic pesticides that can be one of the best alternatives for the use of the chemical pesticides. Hence it has also become an important point of discussion among the leading chain of food retailers over the past decade, for they are also thinking of various ways to ban the pesticide use and think of alternative uses to overcome the issues.
The environmentalist plays a significant role in determining the negative effects of chemical pesticides. They also have the role of increasing the level of awareness of with the public and government. As the chemical pesticides can cause harm to the ecological balance and also the health of human, it is important to adopt intervention measures that will help to minimize the adverse effects of chemical pesticides. The environmentalist need to provide valuable suggestions to the government bodies to minimize the use of chemical pesticides and encourage the use of alternative eco-friendly organic pesticides that has less harmful effects. They must also ensure that proper legal actions are taken any individual or organization, which illegally use excessive chemical pesticides in order to increase productivity by compromising the level of food quality (Gustafson & de Haas, 2014).
The scientists of the agricultural department have a crucial role in dealing and accessing the harmful effects that are associated with the excessive use of chemical pesticides. They also need to give special focus on the development of organic pesticides that has the potential to reduce the consequence of chemical poisoning caused due to excessive use of chemical poisoning.
The other major stakeholders, who are involved in the use of chemical pesticides, include the agricultural department and the health department of Canada. There is also the Pest control department along with the legal authorities that help to implement the Acts that are related to the use of chemical pesticides.
The farmers and the agricultural firms are the stakeholders, who are in favor of the use of the chemical pesticides. The use of the chemical pesticides will help to increase the productivity and thus prevent the loss that is caused due to the pest activity. According to Glozier et al., (2012), every year nearly 35% of the total agricultural crops undergo damage due to the activity of the pests and other harmful insects. The total economic loss of the country is estimated to be around $120 billion dollar. Thus the use of the pesticides can help in the boosting the performance of the agricultural sector of the nation and thereby increase the GDP of the nation. The agricultural scientists have claimed that the use of the chemical pesticides can kill the pests of the food crops, which can otherwise have the potential to harm the human health.
On the other hand, the environmentalist including the environment scientists are the major stakeholders, who are against the use of chemical pesticides. The chemical pesticides have the resulted in the destruction of the local biodiversity of Canada. There is also evidence of chronic disease within human that is caused due to the action of the chemical pesticides. There is also evidence that the chemical pesticides can even cause cancer within human (Bassil et al., 2007)
The local agricultural firms and farmers have direct influence on the use of the pesticides that will help in fulfilling their objectives of higher rate of production. The firms on the other hand get influenced to use pesticides due to the higher demand that is raised by the food retailers. Due to the rise of population and higher consumer demand, the farmers are influenced to use the chemical pesticides to minimize the production (Sharma & Henriques, 2005).
On the other hand, the environmentalists have a negative influence on the use of the chemical pesticides. They influence the farmers to use the pesticides on minimum level. The latest research performed by the agricultural scientist has helped the farmers to use the latest form of pesticides that has minimum adverse effects on the local ecological environment. Hence, the stakeholders can have both direct and indirect influence on the use of the pesticides.
The excessive use of chemical pesticides has resulted in the increased chronic diseases among human and also destroy the natural ecological balance. Hence, it is important for the government of Canada to implement the strict decisions to minimize the harmful effects of chemical pesticides by restricting the use.
With the effect of modernization with the industrial revolution, the human activity has led to environmental pollution, which is one of the major areas of concern. The rise of population has led to rising in demand of food and agricultural products. According to Ioan-Niculae et al., (2015), the criminalization of the agricultural sector is one of the significant contributions that have helped to increase the productivity of the agricultural products. The chemical pesticide is one of the major products that are used to increase the productivity and produce cheap foods. There is wide range of pesticides that are used that includes weedicides, fungicides, nematodicides and much more (“The Problem with Pesticides | Toxics Action Center,” 2016). All the types of pesticides have proved to be beneficial to improve the performance agricultural sectors. The pesticide has been designed to cause inhibition to the activity of the pests and other harmful organisms. Besides pest and harmful insects, the pesticides can also kill the weeds and other parasitic plants that have the ability to destroy and harm the crops.
The pesticide is one of the essential requirements of the modern day agriculture that protect the crops from all harmful effects and ensure that they are not destroyed due to the effects of parasitic activity. Romero (2015), has stated that the history of the use of the pesticide can be dated back to time almost to the beginning of agriculture. However, in the middle of the 20th century, the composition of the pesticide was changed that would help to increase their capability. The first generations of chemical fertilizers were made of toxic elements like Arsenic and compounds like hydrogen cyanide. Other substances like the Bordeaux mixture and sulfur were also used for this purpose, and they were able to effectively destroy the unwanted organisms that are present in the agricultural fields. With the beginning of the green revolution across the globe, the demand for the chemical pesticides has increased rapidly, and it has led to the increased the toxicity of the pesticides. As the toxicity level of the pesticides increased, the pesticides had started to harm the surrounding environment along with potential damage to the health of human.
In recent days the scientist has been able to identify the adverse effects on the environment and human health that is caused due to excessive use of the chemical fertilizers and pesticides. According to the report of the World Health Organization, all over the world there are roughly 3 million people who suffer due to the negative effects of chemical pesticides and it causes nearly 222,000 deaths (Masiá et al., 2013).
According to Tascone et al., (2014), in most of the agricultural firms there is no specific guidelines for amount of chemical fertilizers that is needed for the use of the chemical fertilizers and this had led to the excessive use of the pesticides to deal with the rise of the demand for the agricultural items. The chemical ingredient of the pesticides can cause severe effect on the health of the human. The common form of diseases that is caused due to the use of the chemical pesticides includes memory loss, loss of vision and reduced capability of motor skills. The children are in the group of greater risks of suffering from the health diseases like poor physical and mental development.
At present to deal with the adverse effects that are associated with the use of chemical pesticides in Canada, the government had set up the Pest Management Regulatory Agency, which is a division of the health department of Canada. The primary aim of this agency is to effectively manage the use of chemical pesticides in order to reduce the diseases that are spread through pesticide poisoning. The agency was formed in June 2006, and its duty is reported about the current use of the chemical pesticides. The Montague islands of Canada have undergone severe ecological loss due to the effect of pesticide toxicity. The aquatic life of the islands including some endemic spices of fish and reptiles are now on the endangered list. The plant habitat of the region has also suffered hugely due to the effect of chemical pesticides. The study by Zhang et al., (2013), have shown the tadpoles that grown in the local water bodies of the island have suffered from poor mortality rate due to the chemical compounds that are used as pesticides in the local agricultural firms.
The Food Safety Association of Canada has raised vital concerns about the growing use of chemical pesticides and the harmful effects that are associated with it. The health department of the government of Canada and the Agricultural Department have set up several action plan to protect the environment and health of the population. The farmers and the agricultural firms are encouraged to use better quality of pesticides that has lower level of toxic substance. Moreover, there is strict direction given to all the agricultural farmers so that they use the minimal amount of chemical pesticides and also follow the instructions that are provided for the use of the chemical fertilizers. The government of Canada has implemented the enforcement activity and strict laws to ensure that the food producers do not make excessive use of the chemical substance in order to make higher profit by increasing rapid productivity. The government has also set up the Canadian Food Inspection Agency to monitor the quality of food that is being grown in the agricultural firms. The report that is published by the inspection agency has shown that the rate of production of high quality fruits and vegetables in Canada has improved rapidly in the last ten years. In the year of 2006 almost 99%of the fruits and vegetables that were tested by the agency were marked safe for the human consumption as all the use of the chemical agents were found to be below the safety level.
The health department of government of Canada has passed the Pest Control and Products Act, under which all the chemical pesticides that used by the farmer need to be registered after passing the quality control test. The health department of Canada government needs to check the scientific composition of the pesticides and ensure that there are no major toxic substances present in the pesticides. Moreover, in order to ensure the current use of the pesticides are prepared using minimum toxic substance the health department re-evaluates the all the registered brands of chemical pesticides at an interval of every 15 years (“Pesticides and Food,” 2016).
The health department performs the test for health risk assessment in order to ensure that the chemical substances that are used in the pesticides will not have adverse effects on the use of chemical fertilizers. There is a maximum residue limit that is set to decide the level of maximum residue that is marked safe for the consumption of human. The residue limit is decided to depend upon the health concerns of human. It is also important to consider the local climate, topography and geography of the local region of Canada to decide upon the residue limit. Moreover, the limit is also set depending upon the type of vegetable and fruits that are grown in the agricultural fields. The health department of Canada also uses the guidance of international organizations like OECD and WHO in order to decide the level of standard that is needed typo to be used for each type of chemical pesticides (“Safe Food for Canadians Act – About the Canadian Food Inspection Agency – Canadian Food Inspection Agency”, 2016).
The government of Canada has also implemented the strategy of sustainable pest management that is intended to achieve the maximum possible economic and environmental benefits of the nation. The policies of sustainable pest management also help in the matter maintain the ecological balance of the local bio-diversity and protect the human health.
The legal department of the Government of Canada played a major role in the protection of the people and had passed the Safe Food for Canadians Act 2012 to ensure the safety level of the food and all agricultural products. The government can impose penalty upon individual and organizations that use excessive pesticides above the safety level. This act can also help to strength the level of food inspection that is being carried out by the food safety authority. The Pest Control Products Act was implemented to check the level of individual chemicals that are used in every commercial pesticide. The Act is also indented to monitor the biological diversity of the surrounding environment of an agricultural field that will help to access the effect of chemical pesticides upon the local biological habitat (“Pest Control Products Act,” 2016).
In the year of 2008, the Ontario legislation passed the Act for banning the Cosmetic pesticides. Under the provision of this Act, the sales of all types of garden and lawn pesticides are completely illegal and the government has the right to impose penalty for the any violation. The implementation of this act also banned the use of the 82 harmful chemicals that were previously used as active ingredients of chemical pesticides. Moreover, the Act also restricted the sale of 295 chemical pesticides that includes Weedout herbicides, killer herbicides and many more (“Highlights of Ontario’s Cosmetic Pesticide Ban”, 2016).
The health department also restricted the use of the neonicotinoid pesticide that has the potential to harm the use insects like butterfly and honey bees. The pesticides also have the potential to contaminate the local water bodies and disrupt the aquatic ecosystem. The state of Montreal and Vancouver has actively supported the ban and Ontaario and Quebec have recommended modifying the use of neonicotinoid pesticide rather than imposing complete ban (“Ban on controversial pesticide proposed by Health Canada”, 2016).
All the acts implemented and the steps that are taken by the government of Canada are applicable for commercial agricultural pesticides. The residential pesticides, that are used in the local houses for gardening are not included in the above mentioned steps taken by the Canadian government.
As there is rise of concern among the people of Canada about the excessive use of chemical pesticides and the adverse effect associated, it is important for the government and local environmentalist to implement the use of alternative techniques. Tuck et al., (2014), have suggested the use of sustainable agriculture, where the farmers are encouraged the use of organic farming with the help of biological pest control agents like pheromones and genetically modified crops. The genetically modified crops have the capability to resist the action of pests and other harmful organisms. Van Praagh and Modin (2016) believe that use of natural biological control agents like bacteria and fungi and also help in restricting the growth of pests and also do not cause any harm to the crops.
The main issue that is associated with the use of the organic agents as pesticides is that they have lower capability compared to that of chemical agents. Nevertheless, with the advancement of organic agricultural science, it is possible for the farmers to reduce the dependency on chemical fertilizers.
Hence, instead of complete ban on the use of pesticides, the government of Canada needs to implement the sustained use of the chemical pesticide and also encourage the farmers to use alternative organic pesticides.
Reference
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