Use of Pesticides and Fertilizers

Whether you're trying to tend to a healthy lawn, grow a few vegetables or manage an entire farm, the use of pesticides and fertilizer is an issue you'll need to confront. Though they may have negative effects, pesticides and fertilizers are also vital to human health and safety in many ways, so use them safely to maximize their benefit and limit risk.

Pesticide Problems

Some studies link pesticides to reproductive abnormalities.

Pesticides have been linked with deleterious effects on human health and that of the environment. Children exposed to pesticides have increased rates of leukemia and brain cancer, and pregnant women with exposure have higher miscarriage rates, according to the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment. Pesticides may also damage the lungs and nervous system. In nature, pesticides pollute the air, water and ground. As a result, plant and animal life may die or become sick and malformed.

Benefits of Pesticides

Pesticides keeps swimming pools free of insects.

The top benefit of pesticides is their effectiveness against pests that would otherwise decimate crops large and small. By controlling insects and rodents, pesticides prevent the spread of disease and protect buildings from termite infestations. Pesticides also keep the price of clothing and food down by eliminating predators that would destroy crops, raising the cost of things like corn and cotton. Even surgical instruments and operating rooms are disinfected with pesticides, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

Fertilizer Drawbacks

Fertilizers can damage natural bodies of water.

Though fertilizers have their benefits, there are also downsides to their use, particularly with regard to synthetic fertilizers. Phosphorus from fertilizer can cause algae to accumulate in lakes and ponds, killing fish by robbing them of oxygen. Fertilizers can also contaminate water with an overabundance of phosphates and nitrates, making it unsafe for consumption. Oxidized nitrogen, a byproduct of synthetic fertilizers, also increases smog, which may be related to higher incidence of respiratory illness and asthma.

The Upside of Fertilizer

Compost, made from things like old food, is a natural fertilizer.

Fertilizer comes in many forms, from chemical products to old grass clippings. By providing nutrients like nitrogen, fertilizers help plants thrive despite the threat of weeds and disease. Organic fertilizers, like manure, improve the fertility of soil by feeding microorganisms in the soil, reducing erosion and keeping soil well hydrated. Grass clippings, scattered on the lawn, are a form of fertilizer that provides valuable phosphorus, nitrogen and potassium and can be had for free by mowing the lawn.

Overview

Fertilizers and pesticides both have definite pros and cons associated with their use. Both types of chemical tend to increase yields, and thus make a significant difference in food production, particularly in countries that struggle periodically with famines. On the other hand, they both can cause water pollution when erosion carries the chemicals off of farms along with eroded soils after each rainfall. There is also concern by some authorities that pesticides pose a risk, not only to nontarget animal and plant species, but to humans as well.

Positive Effects of Fertilizers

There is no doubt that fertilizers increase yields of crops around the world. Use of modern fertilizers exploded after World War II. New, ammonia-based fertilizers also fed the process of specialization that was occurring in agriculture. Farmers rotated crops less, which led more quickly to soil exhaustion. Norman Borlaug, the father of the 1960s Green Revolution, which vastly expanded food production and helped stave off world hunger, has argued that modern farming, including the use of fertilizers and herbicides, could “double or triple food production” in Africa. Increased yields also reduce the need for conversion of wild lands to agriculture, contributing to the conservation of biodiversity.

Negative Effects of Pesticides

The downside of fertilizers is that some portion inevitably washes into waterways along with eroded sediments. This nonpoint source runoff occurs nationwide, and the nitrogen fertilizer finds its way into rivers, lakes and the ocean where it causes eutrophication and "dead zones" that kill aquatic life. Eutrophication is a process whereby nitrogen feeds an algal bloom, but when the short-lived algae die, decomposing bacteria then consume most of the available oxygen, suffocating aquatic life. Additionally, use of artificial fertilizers in place of animal or “green” manure--cover crops plowed into the soil--eventually can deplete soils of organic matter, making them lose their ability to hold water and more subject to erosion.

Positive Effects of Pesticides

According to the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, the term pesticide includes chemicals used to control insects, fungi and weeds. Pesticides serve many functions, some of which are more essential to society than others. Pesticides can prevent crop failure, control invasive plants, or promote a uniformly green lawn. Some pesticides reduce blemishes on fruit and vegetables, ensuring that a greater proportion of the crop is marketable.

Negative Effects of Pesticides

According to the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, pesticides have as yet incompletely understood effects on humans. Most people are exposed to a certain level of pesticides. Farmers who experience routine exposure to pesticides have exhibited neurological symptoms such as headache and hand tremors. Children, in particular, may be more susceptible to negative effects resulting from pesticide exposure. Pesticide runoff can have devastating effects on nontarget organisms as well. For example, roundup, an extremely common herbicide used in agriculture, is highly toxic to fish and amphibians. The National Coalition for Pesticide-Free Lawns says, "Of 30 commonly used lawn pesticides, 19 are linked with cancer or carcinogencity, 13 are linked with birth defects, 21 with reproductive effects, 26 with liver or kidney damage, 15 with neurotoxicity, and 11 with disruption of the endocrine system."