Pesticides - The good, the bad, and the pesty
The good, the bad, and the pesty
Pesticides both directly and indirectly hold many benefits for people. They increase agricultural yields by eliminating pests and weeds, providing more food and income for people around the world. They protect crops from disease that can devastate food supplies. In the mid-1800s, for example, a fungus spread quickly through Ireland's potato crops, resulting in the starvation of more than a million people and causing mass emigration. Shielding plants from disease also lessens disease in plant-eating livestock and, ultimately, in humans who would eat that plant or livestock. For the nonfarmer, the use of pesticides has become commonplace. Insect repellents, flea and tick pet collars, weed killers, and mildew cleaners are just a few of the household products that contain pesticides.
Yet because pesticides are designed to control living organisms, some affect organisms they are not...
[The entire page is 359 words long]
Join eNotes
Over 3,500 study guides, question and answer forums, literature criticism, reference content, and much more!
Navigate
