Understanding Water Quality Concerns: A Closer Look at Pesticides

Defining Pesticides:

The EPA describes a "pesticide" as a substance or combination of substances intended for (1) the prevention, elimination, repulsion, or mitigation of any pest, (2) use as a plant regulator, defoliant, or desiccant, or (3) use as a nitrogen stabilizer. Although this formal definition is relatively recent, pesticides have been integral to agricultural production worldwide for centuries and have likely played an essential role in managing insects, weeds, and diseases. For example, sulfur's use for controlling plant diseases can be traced back 4500 years to its first application in Sumeria. Mercury and arsenic salts were later introduced, and the insecticidal properties of chrysanthemum flower extracts (pyrethrum) were discovered approximately 2000 years ago. Indeed, natural substances have long been employed to help manage pests in agriculture (Reeves et al., 2019).

Contemporary Uses of Pesticides:

Many substances utilized daily are classified as pesticides if marketed for their pest-mitigating abilities. Disinfecting agents serve as a typical example. Products containing bleach and promoted for their capacity to manage pathogens must be registered with the EPA as pesticides. Boric acid, often used as a whitening agent in laundry, is also registered as a pesticide for insect control. Vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol), an essential nutrient, is also registered as a pesticide. When ingested in large amounts, vitamin D3 can be lethal to rats and mice, and products containing vitamin D3 designed for this purpose must be registered with the EPA as rodenticides (Reeves et al., 2019).

Exposure Assessment:

Increased pesticide exposure typically falls on the poorest and most vulnerable populations globally. This is also true in the United States, where pesticide exposure strongly correlates with race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status. We will focus on general trends in exposure to different subpopulations in the United States and further discuss specific demographic groups that disproportionately bear the societal burdens of pesticide use (Donley et al., 2022).

General Trends:

Researchers from California's Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) identified pesticide usage as the most significant pollution burden contributing to racial, ethnic, and income disparities in the state, surpassing various air pollutants and other toxic releases. The findings indicated that most pesticide applications in California occurred within 60% of zip codes, with the highest proportion of people of color. Additional research has revealed that over half of the glyphosate applied in California was utilized in the state's eight poorest counties, where 53% of inhabitants identified as Hispanic or Latinx, compared to the statewide average of 38%. In 2019, pesticides of over eight million pounds associated with childhood cancers were employed in 11 Californian counties with a predominantly Latinx population (>50%), equating to 4.2 pounds of these pesticides per individual. Conversely, 770,000 pounds of the same pesticides were applied in 25 Californian counties with the lowest Latinx population (<24%), resulting in 0.35 pounds of these pesticides per person. Both county groups have comparable land areas and populations (Donley et al., 2022).

National patterns also show these differences, with African Americans and Mexican Americans having greater pesticide indicators in their bloodstream or urine compared to non-Hispanic whites not in poverty. Similarly, the largest gap between Caucasian women and women of color in 16 other chemical categories tested was seen in pesticide exposure markers. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) conducted a study that discovered specific historical pesticide byproducts to be more prevalent in Mexican American and African American women aged 40 and older than whites. Non-Hispanic Black or Mexican American people unevenly felt the financial and health effects linked to organophosphate pesticide exposure compared to non-Hispanic white individuals (Tessum et al., 2021).

To analyze a broader array of pesticides throughout the country, we looked at information gathered by the CDC for the Report on Human Exposure to Environmental Chemicals. This document includes data on various pesticides and their byproducts, tracked in the blood and urine of a nationally representative U.S. population sample from 1999 to 2016. Among 14 pesticides/byproducts with concentrations high enough to establish a geometric mean for the three demographic subgroups studied (non-Hispanic white, non-Hispanic Black, and Mexican American), only 3 (21%) were detected in non-Hispanic whites at levels above the overall population average. In contrast, average urinary and serum concentrations were increased...…of pesticides, selling them at affordable rates to small-scale farmers (PDER, 2021).

Managing and Reducing Pesticide Risks

The transition to alternative methods will not be quick enough to eliminate pesticide use in the coming years. Pesticides will continue to provide food security in developing countries for the foreseeable future (PDER, 2021). However, it will be necessary to make clearer distinctions among different types of pesticides. Highly hazardous pesticides (HHPs) can be phased out, and less dangerous ones can be utilized in specific situations. EU leadership in regulation and enforcement will be crucial (PDER, 2021).

International agreements and declarations hold governments accountable for ensuring access to safe food, from production to consumption, with international standards setting minimum pesticide residue limits. However, most recommendations involve voluntary practices, and there is limited international coordination in restricting the sale of hazardous pesticides. Multilateral collaboration leading to further standardization of metrics and approaches will be essential in establishing a new approach to food security (PDER, 2021).

In addition to regulation, enforcement, and standardization, effective communication is critical in managing and reducing pesticide risks in developing countries. Raising awareness of pesticide hazards and the benefits of alternatives will be an integral part of the necessary approach. Other policy tools could be employed, such as encouraging private sector investors to focus on sustainability and promoting the widespread adoption of digital technologies for improved product tracing (PDER, 2021).

Conclusion

Governments play a crucial role in decreasing pesticide usage and risks. Major challenges for effective policy execution in cutting down pesticide usage and risks include updating specific regulations for agricultural pesticides, strictly enforcing laws and regulations, strengthening the function, and clarifying the role of agricultural extensions responsible for translating government policies to farmers and making them aware about pesticide safety measures and alternative pest management, implementing incentive policies for promoting alternative pest management, and educating consumers about pesticide risks and making safe food choices. All approaches should be implemented simultaneously and immediately. Governments must also collaborate with other sectors, such as agriculture, health, environmental, and private and food industries. Such cooperation results in sustainable problem-solving and reduced pesticide use and risk (Sharma et…