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Ent - 312, Lecture 2

Insect Ecology

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18 views20 pages

Ent - 312, Lecture 2

Insect Ecology

Uploaded by

Hasnain
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Ent – 312

Lecture 2
 Pesticides are the only toxic substances released intentionally into
our environment to kill living things. This includes substances that kill
weeds (herbicides), insects (insecticides), fungus (fungicides), rodents
(rodenticides), and others
 The use of toxic pesticides to manage pest problems has become a
common practice around the world. Pesticides are used almost
everywhere -- not only in agricultural fields, but also in homes, parks,
schools, buildings, forests, and roads. It is difficult to find somewhere
where pesticides aren't used -- from the can of bug spray under the
kitchen sink to the airplane crop dusting acres of farmland, our world
is filled with pesticides. In addition, pesticides can be found in the air
we breathe, the food we eat, and the water we drink.
 Pesticides are used in our schools, parks, and public lands. Pesticides
are sprayed on agricultural fields and wood lots. Pesticides can be
found in our air, our food, our soil, our water and even in our breast
milk.
 When Rachel Carson wrote Silent Spring in 1962, she raised public
awareness about the effects of pesticide use on our health and our
environment. However, almost forty years after Carson drew
attention to the health and environmental impacts of DDT, use of
equally hazardous pesticides has only increased. And all the time
there is more evidence surfacing that human exposure to pesticides
is linked to health problems. For example, in May 2010, scientists
from the University of Montreal and Harvard University released a
study that found that exposure to pesticide residues on vegetables
and fruit may double a child’s risk of attention deficit hyperactivity
disorder (ADHD), a condition that can cause inattention,
hyperactivity, and impulsivity in children.
Pesticides and Human Health

 Pesticides have been linked to a wide range of human health hazards,


ranging from short-term impacts such as headaches and nausea to
chronic impacts like cancer, reproductive harm, and endocrine
disruption.
 Acute dangers - such as nerve, skin, and eye irritation and damage,
headaches, dizziness, nausea, fatigue, and systemic poisoning - can
sometimes be dramatic, and even occasionally fatal.
Pesticides and Human Health

 Chronic health effects may occur years after even minimal exposure
to pesticides in the environment, or result from the pesticide residues
which we ingest through our food and water. A July 2007 study
conducted by researchers at the Public Health Institute, the California
Department of Health Services, and the UC Berkeley School of Public
Health found a sixfold increase in risk factor for autism spectrum
disorders (ASD) for children of women who were exposed to
organochlorine pesticides.
Pesticides and Human Health

 Chronic health effects may occur years after even minimal exposure
to pesticides in the environment, or result from the pesticide residues
which we ingest through our food and water. A July 2007 study
conducted by researchers at the Public Health Institute, the California
Department of Health Services, and the UC Berkeley School of Public
Health found a sixfold increase in risk factor for autism spectrum
disorders (ASD) for children of women who were exposed to
organochlorine pesticides.
Pesticides and Human Health

 Pesticides can cause many types of cancer in humans. Some of the


most prevalent forms include leukemia, non-Hodgkins lymphoma,
brain, bone, breast, ovarian, prostate, testicular and liver cancers. In
February 2009, the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry
published a study that found that children who live in homes where
their parents use pesticides are twice as likely to develop brain
cancer versus those that live in residences in which no pesticides are
used.
Interaction of insecticides and
environment:
 Pesticide-environment interactions are bidirectional.
 The environment alters pesticides by metabolism and
photodegradation, and,
 pesticides in turn change the environment through nontarget or
secondary effects.
 The need for understanding and improving pesticide-environment interactions
began with production of the first major insecticide approximately 150 years
ago:
 The arsenical poison Paris Green was green in color but definitely not
ecofriendly.
 Development and use of other pesticides has led to a variety of problems.
 environmental degradation and the bioactivity of resulting photoproducts and
metabolites, pesticide photochemistry (including the use of structural
optimization, photostabilizers, and photosensitizers to achieve suitable
persistence), the presence of multiple active ingredients in botanical
insecticides, the need to consider compounds with common mechanisms of
action, issues related to primary and secondary targets, and chemically induced
or genetically modified changes in plant biochemistry. Many insecticides are
bird, fish, and honeybee toxicants, whereas herbicides and fungicides pose
fewer environmental problems.
Air and Pesticides

 Air quality is a measure of the amount of pollutants in our


atmosphere, which includes indoor and outdoor air. Pesticides in
agriculture and urban settings have the potential to contaminate our
air, affecting human, animal and plant health. Some pesticide
ingredientsstay in the atmosphere for only a short period of time,
while others can last longer. Pesticides released into the air can settle
to the ground, be broken down by sun light and water in the
atmosphere, or dissipate into the surrounding air.
When are pesticides in the air a health risk?

 It depends on...
 how toxic the pesticides are
 how much pesticide is in the air
 how much a person breathes or gets exposed to
How do pesticides get into the
air?

 Application of pesticides in or around homes, buildings or on farms

 During the manufacture of pesticides and their ingredients

 As a result of spills, accidents and natural disasters


How can I minimize my exposure to
pesticides in the air?

 Follow label directions when you use pesticides

 Use IPM practices to control pests

 Monitor the weather when applying pesticides; avoid very hot or windy days

 Consider staying inside with doors and windows closed when pesticides are
being applied nearby
How can I find out about my air quality?

 EPA and other agencies monitor air quality and regulate emissions

 Local weather stations often post local air quality information

 Testing air samples collected in or around your home


 T
Testing for Pesticides and Pesticide
Exposure

 When pesticides enter our environment, many things affect


how long they will last and where they will go.
 Laboratory testing can be very expensive and the results are often
difficult to understand. Although modern testing methods can be
used to detect small amounts of pesticides in air, soil, water and/or
biological samples, often the implications of the results to human
health or the environment is not easy to determine. Just because a
pesticide is present in the environment or in the body does not mean
there is a meaningful health risk.
To learn more, visit these resources:

 Pesticides and Indoor Air



Pesticides and Outdoor Air

Pesticide Exposure and Testing
Pesticides and Plants

 Pesticides can be absorbed by plants through the leaves and roots.


Pesticides that are taken up by plants can move (translocate) to other
parts of the plant.

Systemic insecticides move throughout the plant. When insects feed
on the plant, the insecticide can kill them. This type of insecticide can
be harmful to bees and other pollinators. When the bee is pollinating
the plant, it may also receive a toxic dose of the pesticide. It is
important to read the label and use this type of product only when
it will not pose a threat to the pollinators.
 Chlorinated Hydrocarbons are a group of chemicals composed of
carbon,chlorine, and hydrogen. As pesticides, they are also referred
to by several other names,
including chlorinated organics, chlorinated insecticides,
and chlorinatedsynthetics.

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