You know why there is a warning “Do not Eat” on the “Silica” pack you find in new shoes? Because it is poisonous and someone has eaten it! But back to my topic…

Pesticides have been irking the earth’s residents for thousands of years. But before we dive into it…what is classified as a pesticide?

***Warning You may learn something***

A pesticide is a substance or mixture of substances used for preventing, controlling, or lessening the damage caused by a pest. A pesticide may be a chemical substance, biological agent (such as a virus or bacteria), antimicrobial, disinfectant or device used against any pest.

Pests include insects, plant pathogens, weeds, birds, mammals, fish, nematodes and microbes that compete with humans for food, destroy property, spread or are a vector for disease or cause a nuisance.

Many pesticides are poisonous to humans.

Well it is not like we don’t know that already…I mean come on. By the 15th century, toxic chemicals such as arsenic, mercury and lead were being applied to crops to kill pests. Who would have known? It wasn’t long after that people started getting mercury poisoning, cancer and brain damage from these chemicals. Well, maybe we should try something different. Scientists over the years have tried and tested everything from, nicotine sulfate that was extracted from tobacco leaves to more natural pesticides derived from tropical plants.

In 1939, a gentlemen by the name of Paul Müller discovered that DDT was a very effective insecticide. It quickly became the most widely-used pesticide in the world. After that brilliant discovery synthetic pesticides became more common.

In the 1960s, it was discovered that DDT was preventing many fish-eating birds from reproducing, which was a serious threat to biodiversity. DDT is now banned in at least 86 countries, but it is still used in some developing nations to prevent malaria and other tropical diseases by killing mosquitoes and other disease-carrying insects.

Not much has changed since then besides the fact that more and more pesticides have been approved and banned. How good can something be if you have to wear a full protective suit and a respirator to mix and apply?

How about these facts:

They say that some synthetic pesticides can stay in the soil for up to 7 years. Chemicals that are no longer used but which are resistant to breakdown for long periods may remain in soil and water and thus in food.

Some pesticides come in granular form, and birds and other wildlife may eat the granules, mistaking them for grains of food. A few granules of a pesticide is enough to kill a small bird.

Pesticide surface runoff into rivers and streams can be highly lethal to aquatic life, sometimes killing all the fish in a particular stream. Application of herbicides to bodies of water can cause fish kills when the dead plants rot and use up the water’s oxygen, suffocating the fish.

Did you know that pesticides have been found in store bought orange juice. Many food crops, including fruits and vegetables, contain pesticide residues after being washed or peeled.

Major cities all across Canada and the United States and across the pond in Europe are recognizing that things need to change. Full blown pesticide bans have been put into place and bi-laws have been passed to make it illegal to apply said pesticides.

Round up for the longest time was my best friend…but as of late I have found other alternatives such as horticulture vinegar and a propane torch. Heck what happened to manual control?

Now I know that we are all concerned and that we have been concerned for a long time. And I know that some of this information you already know. But perhaps you will be able to perceive it differently from this rambling.

Can you image going to the grocery store and seeing “Do not eat” on all of the apples?

From The Lawn Blog my name is Richard Murphy.

Help The Lawn Blog grow add us to the Stumble!