Occupational Exposure to Pesticides †Free Samples to Students

Question: Discuss about the Occupational Exposure to Pesticides. Answer: Introduction Pesticides are considered as substances that are used to control infectious diseases. These diseases include pests and weeds that are harmful to the crops. This, in turn, may lead to harming the human population as the consumption of these crops may lead to life-threatening diseases. Bara?ski et al. (2014) stated that pesticide includes herbicide, insecticide, molluscicide, rodenticide and so on. The most common form of pesticide is considered as herbicide that accounts for about 80% of the usage. The pesticide is normally associated with protecting crops from harmful diseases. The harmful organisms include mosquitoes, parasites, fleas and rodents. Guedes et al. (2016) stated that some of the benefits of pesticide include prevention of crop loss that can save the money and lives of the farmers. In many countries, farmers commit suicide due to the loss of crops either by natural causes or from being infected by pests. The cost required for purchasing stocks for harvesting crops are also reduced. Pesticide also helps in improving crops and livestock. This is important in order to ensure that invasive species does not affect the crops (Sanchez-Bayo and Goka 2014). It can also help in saving human as well as animal lives. This is done by ensuring that the crops are pest free and consumption of it does not cause diseases among the living beings. It controls the organisms that pose harm to the human beings. The biggest benefit that pesticide provides is the saving of costs and crops. It has been proven that every crop that has been saved is worth save of every money. It can also be used to prevent sickness all over the world. Fenner et al. (2013) observed that despite the positives of using pesticide, certain negative side effects also exist. The individuals indulged in the use of pesticides normally feel these side effects. The environment is degraded as well with the use of a pesticide. Some of the negative effects include increased chances of cancer. Pesticide includes the use of carcinogenicity that increases the chances of cancer among human being. It may also create organ failure and skin irritation because of the harmful effluents that exist. Trasande et al. (2016) stated that the poisonous substances used for killing microorganisms and rodents can severely affect the health of a human. Apart from this, the use of pesticide compromised the nutritional value of the crops. This is done because the soil required for harvesting the crop is contaminated because of the excess use of a pesticide. Some of the positive impacts of pesticide are the fact that it helps in the protection of crops from rodents a nd other microorganisms. This is important as most of the crops get destroyed from the infestation that is caused by rodents and microorganisms. Apart from this pesticide also helps to keep the crops healthy and reduces the cost required for purchasing livestock for the crops. The saving of crops and the proper harvesting of crops helps in the increase of income among the farmers. The environment is also degraded due to the existence of pesticide. Air, soil and water remain contaminated due to the use of pesticide in the ecology. It can be said that the environmental degradation also causes problems for the human beings and animals (Sharma et al. 2013). Hence, indirectly pesticide poses a threat to the environment. In countries belonging to the Asian regions, pesticides are found in the groundwater level. This is another factor that needs to be considered while analysing the effects of pesticide on the health and environment. Thus, the report is based on the topic and an analysis of the impact in the countries in the Asian region (Lu et al. 2015). The report is based on the impact of health and environment that pesticide has on the environment. The report focuses on a case study that deals with the use of pesticide in countries situated in Asia. The comparison is made between the use of pesticide in Bangladesh to understand the impact of the component. The case study also provides analysis about the consumption of pesticide items in the regions. Analysis of the issue is conducted and conclusions are drawn based on the evidence from the case study.he use of pesticide in the crops. Lebov et al. (2015) stated that along with the benefits of pesticide certain negative factors also exist that could cause harm to the environment as well as the people. One of the biggest issues that are faced by the use of pesticide is the fact that it spreads all over the place (Andersson, Tago and Treich 2014). The exact point where the pesticide is sprayed does not remain in the same location. This leads to the mobility of pesticide through soil, air and water. This is harmful because once the pesticide becomes mobile it encounters various organisms and causes harm. The organisms, as well as other materials, also encounter these pesticides (Lal, Hansen and Uphoff 2016). The reason behind the existence of treat due to the mobility of the pesticides is the fact that people encounter these components and become vulnerable. This may create the problem in lives of the human beings as the exposure to pesticides may cause life-threatening diseases. Van Meter et al. (2014) stated that the exposure to pesticide might cause incurable diseases such as cancer, skin infections, infertility and brain damage and so on. These diseases are most common to the farmers working in the fields with sprayers and mixtures in order to keep away harmful organisms. Miah et al. (2014) stated that it is during the time of manufacturing and formulation of the pesticides that most individuals are exposed to the component. Apart from this, neurological symptoms are also seen in some people that are exposed to pesticides. This also leads to various diseases that can be infectious for human beings. According to Linton et al. (2015), pesticides also spread in the human body through the food that is consumed. This is because, the farmers spread the pesticide in the crops, vegetables and fruits in order to prevent it from being consumed or destroyed by pests. As observed by Matthews (2015), about an average of 6000 food items is infected with pesticide. Despite the fact that the restaurants and household individuals wash the food before consumption, some residues of pesticides still remain. This proves to be a fatal factor for the human beings as the unknown consumption of the components leads to health issues. Many countries have reported poisoning due to the consumption of contaminated pesticide food. Zhu et al. (2014) stated that apart from human health, a pesticide also degrades the environment. The environmental degradation is caused by the flow of pesticide from place to another. The mobility of the component is caused by soil, water and air. Pesticides are toxic and pose th reat to organisms such as birds or animals. Some plants may also be degraded due to the emergence of pesticide in the environment. Pesticides are considered as the most harmful components that can pose a serious threat to lives (Croes et al. 2015). The negative side includes the occurrence of skin disease, cancer and other diseases that may cause a threat of life for an individual. This is an important negative aspect as the poison that is contained in the pesticides is also harmful to other organisms. Apart from this, the economic and environmental factors also get affected due to the use of pesticides. Water bodies are contaminated and as a result, aquatic lives are affected. About 143 different types of pesticides are found in the groundwater. Soil fertility is also lost due to the cause of pesticide (Sarwar 2015). This is because the loss of bacteria and fungi causes soil degradation. The overuse of pesticides and other chemicals affects the microorganisms in the soil. Hence, according to Yadav et al. (2015), crops tend to grow slowly or cease growth due to the absence of nutrition from the soil. Thus, the pesticide has many negative outcomes that play a vital role in the contamination of the environment and degrading the h ealth of the individuals. The report analyses a case study in order to establish a link between the impacts of pesticide on the health of the people residing in Bangladesh along with those of the other continents. The case study depicts the use of pesticide in Bangladesh. The utilisation of pesticide and other bug sprays are analysed in order to understand the rate at which the habitats of the countries are harmed. The analysis takes into account the impact of the use of a pesticide on the crops and on the health of the individuals. The use of the pesticide that is used in Bangladesh is analysed by identifying the specific usage rate since 1984. The case study also provides a detailed account with the harmful effects of pesticide use. The use of natural pesticides extracted from the environment, crop rotation policy and breeding of safe varieties are some of the ways by which the negative impact on the environment can be prevented. The use of protective clothing can prevent the occurrence of skin diseases. Countries like Bangladesh have extended the use of pesticide and bug sprays in order to give more life to the crops. According to Mamane et al. (2015), Bangladesh is an agricultural based country, therefore; the culturing of crops is needed in order for most people to survive. Hence, the use of pesticide is also required in order to ensure that the farmers earn a living by selling crops. However, the excess use of the pesticide can result in the decomposition of the soil and create an imbalance in the ecosystem. These pesticides are considered dangerous and harm the habitat of the living beings. As mentioned by Dabrowski, Shadung and Wepener (2014), excess use of a pesticide can have a dangerous influence on the lives of the people as well as other organisms. In Bangladesh, the use of herbicides and fungicides has increased at an alarming rate. The use of pesticide in Bangladesh started from 1951. Over the years its use has increased and in the year 1993, the use of the pesticide for the crops increased to 8000 metrics (Riah et al. 2014). This proves that the agricultural dependence in the country is higher. In order to understand the increase in the consumption of pesticide in the country, an analysis is conducted. From the table, it can be seen that the consumption of insecticide is in the form of granular, liquid and powder. This indicates the dependence on the use of insecticide in order to protect the crops. However, the use of the powder form of insecticide has been reduced in 1993. This is mainly because of the increase in the use of herbicides and fungicide. The table provides a detailed comparison of the increase in the use of herbicide and fungicide since 1984. As observed by Johnston, Fanzo and Cogill (2014) the increase in the use of these components is alarming given the fact that the families residing in the regions close to the agricultural fields are exposed to the dangers that can be spread from the components. The case study provides the fact that vegetables consist of the maximum amount of pesticide in Bangladesh. This is high after being compared with the other nations of the world. It has also been seen that about 76% of the use of pesticide consisting of 598.8 percent consumption rate per year prevails in the crops of Bangladesh. According to Khler and Triebskorn (2013), the impact of the purchase and consumption of pesticide may lead to sickness and loss of health among the people. This is mainly because of the fact the fact that the consumption of vegetables is relatively high among the people in Bangladesh (Balbus et al. 2013). Some of the ill-effects of health among people include malignancy, skin problems, and kidney failure and so on. Due to the alarming increase of illness among the people, the export of vegetables from Bangladesh has decreased in the recent years. Conclusion Hence, after analysing the impact of pesticide in the lives of the people and in the environment, it can be said that certain solutions can be provided in order to reduce the negative impact of pesticide. Apart from the reduced and calculated use of the component, it is required that the natural pesticides are used for the crops. The natural pesticide can be in form of the extraction from neem seeds that can be used to reduce the impact of pesticide in the crops. The use of the natural pesticide can prevent the degradation of soil and ecology as the extraction is done from the natural environment. The spread of the pesticide helps in preventing the spread of dangerous components. Generic methods can be used in order to breed safe varieties of the components. It has already been established that pesticides consist of harmful components that have a dangerous impact on the health of the individuals as well as the environment. Hence, the use of generic methods is recommended in order to prevent the spread of such harm in the environment. The generic methods include refining the component in order to create new breeds of pesticide. It may be difficult to launch the new breeds in the markets initially but with the advantages that it can have in the environment, the use of the new breeds can increase vehemently. Crop rotation can also be used in order to prevent the use of a similar pesticide. Every crop requires the use of different pesticide depending upon the growth rate and the nutritional value. This can prevent the soil from being affected by similar pesticides and prevent soil erosion and ecological degradation. Crop rotation can also help in saving the crops from being infected by microorganisms and rodents. This can also help the farmers to sell more crops and have store plenty crops in order to avert any natural calamity. It has been established that the most dangerous forms of pesticide are the use of herbicides and fungicides. This is mainly because of the fact that the harmful components in these types of pesticide cause problems in the lives of the people as well in the environment. Hence, the use of these forms of pesticide needs to be reduced in order to prevent the ill-effects. In countries like Bangladesh, the increased use of herbicides and fungicides has resulted in the decrease in the exports of vegetables from the country. This has also resulted in the loss of economy. Hence, it is required that the use of this pesticide be reduced in order to maintain economically as well ecological balance. Apart from these, protective clothes can also be used in order to prevent the skin from being exposed to the pesticide. The spread of pesticide causes the components to be mixed in the air and cause skin irritation. The use of protective clothing such as gloves, protective glasses, aprons and rubber boots can prevent any type of skin disease. However, pesticide flows through the air and as a result it can affect people that do not handle the component directly. This can be the serious threat to the people. 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