Environmental Effects of Pesticides
Environmental effects of pesticides
Use of pesticides can have unintended effects on the environment.
Over 98% of sprayed insecticides and 95% of herbicides reach a destination other than their target species, including nontarget species, air, water, bottom sediments, and food.[1] Pesticide contaminates land and water when it escapes from production sites and storage tanks, when it runs off from fields, when it is discarded, when it is sprayed aerially, and when it is sprayed into water to kill algae.[2] The amount of pesticide that migrates from the intended application area is influenced by the particular chemical's properties: its propensity for binding to soil, its vapor pressure, its water solubility, and its resistance to being broken down over time.[3] Factors in the soil, such as its texture, its ability to retain water, and the amount of organic matter contained in it, also affect the amount of pesticide that will leave the area.[3] Some pesticides contribute to global warming and the depletion of the ozone layer.[4]
[edit] Air
Pesticides can contribute to air pollution . Pesticide drift occurs when pesticides suspended in the air as particles are carried by wind to other areas, potentially contaminating them.[5] Pesticides that are applied to crops can volatilize and may be blown by winds into nearby areas, potentially posing a threat to wildlife.[6] Also, droplets of sprayed pesticides or particles from pesticides applied as dusts may travel on the wind to other areas,[7] or pesticides may adhere to particles that blow in the wind, such as dust particles.[8] Ground spraying produces less pesticide drift than aerial spraying does.[9] Farmers can employ a buffer zone around their crop, consisting of empty land or non-crop plants such as evergreen trees to serve as windbreaks and absorb the pesticides, preventing drift into other areas.[10] Such windbreaks are legally required in the Netherlands.[10]
Pesticides that are sprayed on to fields and
Use of pesticides can have unintended effects on the environment.
Over 98% of sprayed insecticides and 95% of herbicides reach a destination other than their target species, including nontarget species, air, water, bottom sediments, and food.[1] Pesticide contaminates land and water when it escapes from production sites and storage tanks, when it runs off from fields, when it is discarded, when it is sprayed aerially, and when it is sprayed into water to kill algae.[2] The amount of pesticide that migrates from the intended application area is influenced by the particular chemical's properties: its propensity for binding to soil, its vapor pressure, its water solubility, and its resistance to being broken down over time.[3] Factors in the soil, such as its texture, its ability to retain water, and the amount of organic matter contained in it, also affect the amount of pesticide that will leave the area.[3] Some pesticides contribute to global warming and the depletion of the ozone layer.[4]
[edit] Air
Pesticides can contribute to air pollution . Pesticide drift occurs when pesticides suspended in the air as particles are carried by wind to other areas, potentially contaminating them.[5] Pesticides that are applied to crops can volatilize and may be blown by winds into nearby areas, potentially posing a threat to wildlife.[6] Also, droplets of sprayed pesticides or particles from pesticides applied as dusts may travel on the wind to other areas,[7] or pesticides may adhere to particles that blow in the wind, such as dust particles.[8] Ground spraying produces less pesticide drift than aerial spraying does.[9] Farmers can employ a buffer zone around their crop, consisting of empty land or non-crop plants such as evergreen trees to serve as windbreaks and absorb the pesticides, preventing drift into other areas.[10] Such windbreaks are legally required in the Netherlands.[10]
Pesticides that are sprayed on to fields and