Column: In My Opinion
Title: The Price of Pesticides
Publication: The Slate
When you hear the word “pesticides” what do you think of?
When asked about pesticides, many think of farms and produce, but do not think much
about these chemicals. Others acknowledge the possible side effects of pesticides but choose to
ignore the dangers. Some attempt to protect themselves by simply rinsing their fruits and
vegetables and the “extremists” stand up against those using the chemicals and demand change.
Many media pieces attempt to claim that pesticides are safe. A piece from the New York
Times printed in early August of 2011 claims that no clear side effects from pesticides have been
found in research done on consumers. The piece goes on to explain how dangerous pesticides in
contact with skin and clothing can be.
If a chemical is dangerous when in contact with the skin, how can it be safe to ingest on
our food?
One of the original pesticides, DDT, was found to be the cause of many cases of thyroid
cancer, premature births and developmental problems in children.
New pesticides were created to be safer for the public but that goal was not achieved.
Until recently, it was rare to find media that would delve into the truth dangers behind the
chemicals we ingest every day on our produce.
Today these chemicals can be found in both food and the containers we eat food from.
Known by names other than “pesticides,” dangerous chemicals have been found in water bottles,
plastic containers and various food products. These chemicals, alongside the traditional
pesticides found on farm-produced items, are ingested by us every day.
The farmers using these spray-on pesticides and the companies using these chemicals in
household goods, claim that the use of these chemicals are only dangerous if a person comes in
contact with the chemical itself.
These claims have been disproven time and time again.
An article in the New York Times from May 2010 uncovered the truth about pesticides
that had been quietly known by researchers for many years. The piece included a list of diseases
believed to be connected to pesticide use including heart disease, cancer, diabetes, ADHD and
even autism.
How can findings so serious be ignored?
Within the last few weeks, multiple news programs have announced a staggering increase
in autism, claiming that 1 in 25 boys and 1 in 252 young girls are diagnosed each year. The
unbelievable aspect of these findings is that the media claims researchers have not found a
connection between the rise in this disease and any outside influences.
How can people, especially those who are held to a high standard of providing the truth
to the public, so easily forget the daunting findings linking pesticides with so many deadly
diseases that plague our society?
When the issue begins to affect children, we need to demand truth from those we rely so
heavily on. We need to take a stand for health and safety of ourselves, our children and our
future.
As long as we continue to purchase produce drenched in harmful chemicals, our society
will face continued increases in genetic disorders.
The cost of organic food is often higher than non-organic food.
This cost, though, is much less than the true price of pesticides.