1. Technology Will Destroy Our Planet
By: Nicole Marson
PESTICIDES

2. WHAT ARE PESTICIDES?
• Any toxic substance used to kill animals or plants that are considered pests.
• A pest can be an
• Insect
• Weed
• Bacteria
• Fungus
• Rodent
• Fish
• Or any other troublesome organism (NPIC1, n.d.).

3. WHAT ARE PESTICIDES CONT.
• There are many household items that contain pesticides such as certain gardening
products, insect repellants, tick sprays for dogs etc.
• There are low-high risk pesticides.
• Low-toxicity pesticides are labeled with the word CAUTION whereas higher risk
pesticides are labeled with WARNING or DANGER (NPIC, n.d.).
• Risk is reduced by making sure pesticides are not touched, inhaled, or consumed
(NPIC, n.d.).
• Here is a website that gives common active ingredients in insecticides and specific
information for each ingredient http://npic.orst.edu/ingred/specchem.html
RISK = TOXICITY x EXPOSURE

4. HISTORY OF PESTICIDES
• First Generation pesticides contained arsenic and hydrogen cyanide. These were highly
toxic and not very effective.
• Second generation pesticides are made of synthetic carbon containing compounds.
• The very first important pesticide, a second generation pesticide, was DDT. Discovered by
Swiss chemist Paul Muller in 1939.
• DDT was popular because it did not break down easily in
the environment so you did not have to reapply often, it
was not water soluble, it was inexpensive, and it was
toxic to a large amount of pests (People, n.d.).

5. HISTORY OF PESTICIDES CONT.
• DDT had huge toxicity issues due to bioconcentration, the rate a compound collects in an
organisms body. As well as biomagnification, the increase in concentration up the food
chain as animals ingest other animals with the compound inside them.
• DDT caused birds to produce thinner egg shells which would crack on incubation.
• DDT killed harmful insects but many useful ones as well, endangered many species of
fish and bird, and caused the extinction of the peregrine falcon. Even seals miles and
miles away could be found with DDT in their system.
• 1973 DDT was banned in the United States.
• New chemicals are made to be less persistent, however this poses risk of contaminating
water supply.
• Newer chemicals are more acutely toxic.

6. WHY WE USE PESTICIDES
• Control disease organisms such as disease carrying insects or pests.
• To protect against damage, for example using pesticides against termites.
• Sterilization of indoor areas, for example hospitals, dental offices, and/or houses
• Protect crop supplies and increase production

7. ISSUES CONCERNING PESTICIDES
• Pesticides can be purchased by local consumers who do not read the labels and do not
know how to correctly handle these chemicals.
• Long term exposure is usually not tested before pesticides are put out on the market.
• Many flaws are currently evident in pesticide registration that puts harmful chemicals into
the hands of consumers.
• Many active ingredients in pesticides are known to be disease-causing but can still be
released if the EPA, United States Environmental Protection Agency, deems that the
pesticides economic, social, or environmental benefits outweighs the risks
(Toxicsaction, n.d.).

8. ANIMAL EXTINCTION AND PESTICIDES
• Animal extinction has the ability to drastically effect the whole ecosystem around us. For
example, when the gray wolf was mass exterminated an increase in elk was seen. An
increase in elk meant a decrease in trees and shrubs thus leading to less food and cover
for song birds, threatening their population.
• About 90% of the nations streams and rivers are contaminated by pesticides, thus
affecting fish and the drinking water of both animals and humans (Huff, 2010).
• Low level exposure or high level exposure indirectly and directly effects many species
throughout the world.
• 1 million bats in northeastern United States have died from diseases caused by pesticides
and 1,800 species of sea inhabitants face extinction (Huff, 2010).
• Pesticides are carried by wind, food consumption, direct contact, and water run off.

9. IN RECENT NEWS: THE HONEYBEES
• Honeybee extinction has been a topic of concern in the news throughout the past years.
• The U.S. department of agriculture states that 1/3 of the food we consume comes from
insect-pollinated plants; the honeybee is responsible for 80% of that pollination (FoxNews,
2011).
• Pesticides are suspected to be one of the major factors of honey bee deaths. Specifically
a chemical found in many pesticides called neonicotinoids.
• Colony Collapse Disorder refers to the massive honey bee loss which Is happening
worldwide.
• Without honey bees humans would have to pollinate plants by themselves. Since humans
and animals, such as cattle, feed from plants humans alone cannot keep up pollination at
the rate needed to sustain life.
• Scientists estimate that if the honeybees die out, the rest of humanity will follow within a
mere two years (Savethebeecampaign, n.d.).
From This…To This…

10. INSECTICIDES MASS DESTROY THE ALREADY
ENDANGERED BUMBLE BEE

11. EFFECTS ON THE HUMAN BODY
• We are exposed to pesticides through our nose, mouth, and skin.
• A Number of studies have directly linked pesticide exposure with the following diseases:
• Alzheimer's Disease
• Asthma
• Birth defects which increase infant death
• Cancer
• Diabetes
• Endocrine disruption
• Learning/developmental disorders
• Parkinson’s Disease
• Sexual/Reproductive Dysfunction
• Body burden

12. TO CONCLUDE
• Pesticides are not well regulated
• Cause disease and death
• Benefits outweighing the risk should not matter if suffering or death occurs
• The world is too dependent on chemicals
• Long term effects not studied before put out into the market ex DDT
• If pesticides cause extinction of animals, ex the honeybees, the human race will go
endangered.

13. REFERENCES
Beyondpesticides. (n.d.). Pesticide-Induced Diseases Database. Retrieved from
http://www.beyondpesticides.org/health/bodyburden.php
FoxNews. (2011). Bee Colony Collapses Could Threaten U.S. Food Supply. Retrieved from
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,269701,00.html
Huff, Ethan. (2010). Pesticides are killing birds, bees, and bats by the millions. Retrieved from
http://www.naturalnews.com/027971_pesticides_bees.html
NPIC. (n.d.). Low-Risk Pesticides. Retrieved from http://npic.orst.edu/ingred/lowrisk.html

14. REFERENCES
NPIC1. (n.d.). Pesticides in drinking water. Retrieved from
http://npic.orst.edu/factsheets/drinkingwater.pdf
People. (n.d.). A History of Pesticide Use. Retrieved from
http://people.oregonstate.edu/~muirp/pesthist.htm
Savethebeecampaign. (n.d.). Honeybees Are Dying Out!. Retrieved from
http://savethebeecampaign.webs.com/honeybeesaredyingout.htm
Toxicsaction. (n.d.). The problem with pesticides. Retrieved from
http://www.toxicsaction.org/problems-and-solutions/pesticides