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Concept
Health effects of pesticides
Summary
Health effects of pesticides may be acute or delayed in those who are exposed. Acute effects can include pesticide poisoning, which may be a medical emergency. Strong evidence exists for other, long-term negative health outcomes from pesticide exposure including birth defects, fetal death, neurodevelopmental disorder, cancer, and neurologic illness including Parkinson's disease. Toxicity of pesticides depend on the type of chemical, route of exposure, dosage, and timing of exposure.
According to The Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (2001), 9 of the 12 most dangerous and persistent chemicals were pesticides, so many have now been withdrawn from use.
People can be exposed to pesticides, which include insecticides, herbicides, fungicides, by a number of different routes including: occupation, in the home, at school, in the air, water, soil, and in food. Almost all humans are exposed to some level of pesticides. For example, pesticide drift, may be a potentially significant source of exposure to the general public. Exposure can occur via ingestion, inhalation, or contact with skin. Some pesticides can remain in the environment for prolonged periods of time.
There are concerns that pesticides used to control pests on food crops are dangerous to people who consume those foods. Many food crops, including fruits and vegetables, contain pesticide residues even after being washed or peeled. Chemicals that are no longer used but that are resistant to breakdown for long periods may remain in soil and water and, thus, in food. For example, most people in the United States still have detectable levels of dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT), an insecticide, despite its ban in the US in 1972. These concerns are one reason for the organic food movement. In California, 92% of farmworkers are Latino and exposure to pesticides in majority-Latino counties of the state to pesticides is 906% higher than counties in which the Latino population is fewer than 24%. This has raised concerns over environmental justice.
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