Pesticides
Pesticides are potentially toxic to humans and can cause both acute and chronic damage to health.
Sources of exposure
Pesticides are chemicals used to kill or control pests such as insects, weeds, fungi, bacteria, rodents, fish or other types of organisms. Pesticides are most commonly used on agricultural land, in gardens and on lawns. They are also used in water bodies such as rivers, canals or lakes to control pests such as mosquitoes, weeds or some species of fish.
Pesticide contamination of drinking water is very common, especially areas with large-scale agriculture. Accidental or illegal spills of pesticides can contaminate drinking water, and even the proper application of pesticides can be harmful. Pesticide concentrations are usually highest in streams near an agricultural area.
Because groundwater moves very slowly, pesticides can sometimes surface decades after application or spillage and contaminate water supplies.
Possible effects on health
Pesticides are potentially toxic to humans and can cause harm:
- Immunosuppression
- Disruption of hormone production
- Reduced intelligence, impaired memory
- Reduction of attention span and vision
- Neurological effects such as the onset of Parkinson's disease
- Reproductive problems
- Disturbance of child development, birth defects
- Cancer
- Headaches, salivation, diarrhoea, nausea, vomiting, wheezing, coma and even death
- Mimicking intrinsic asthma, bronchitis and gastroenteritis
Pesticides are important for the survival and protection of crops and raw materials, but are of great concern for human health. They tend to accumulate in the human cell membrane, disrupting the body's functional system.
Humans are exposed to pesticides in water mainly through skin contact and ingestion. This can lead to immune suppression, hormonal disorders, intelligence reduction, reproductive disorders and cancer.
The effects of pesticide exposure on humans can be divided into acute and chronic health problems. Chronic health problems include neurological effects such as Parkinson's disease, a reduction in attention span, memory disorders, reproductive problems, child development disorders, birth defects and cancer. The most common effects are visual disturbances, headaches, salivation, diarrhoea, nausea, vomiting, wheezing, coma and even death. And even a small poisoning can have serious health effects.
Source:
https://www.safewater.org/fact-sheets-1/2017/1/23/pesticides
https://www.filterwater.com/t-pesticides.aspx
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7826868/