Groundwater contamination:
Pesticides, when sprayed on crop plants, are able to flow below the surface of the ground, reaching water-bearing aquifers, thereby contaminating groundwater
, making it unsuitable for both human and agricultural uses.
What do pesticides do to water quality?
Pesticides have the potential to
contaminate drinking water supplies
. They are applied to farmlands, gardens and lawns and can make their way into ground water or surface water systems that feed drinking water supplies.
What are the harmful effects of pesticides in water?
Aquatic life
Fish and other aquatic biota may be harmed by pesticide-contaminated water.
Pesticide surface runoff into rivers and streams can be highly lethal to aquatic life, sometimes killing all the fish in a particular stream
.
How does pesticides affect the environment?
Impact on environment
Pesticides can contaminate soil, water, turf, and other vegetation
. In addition to killing insects or weeds, pesticides can be toxic to a host of other organisms including birds, fish, beneficial insects, and non-target plants.
Why do pesticides cause water pollution?
Irrigating saturated soils or irrigating at a rate that exceeds the infiltration rate of soil promotes runoff that can carry pesticides with it
. Irrigation that promotes the frequent downward movement of water beyond the root zone of plants also promotes the leaching of substances, including pesticides, to groundwater.
What are the impacts of pesticides?
Pesticides can cause short-term adverse health effects, called acute effects, as well as chronic adverse effects that can occur months or years after exposure. Examples of acute health effects include
stinging eyes, rashes, blisters, blindness, nausea, dizziness, diarrhea and death
.
How do pesticides and fertilizers cause water pollution?
The usage of organic fertilizers results in the discharge of nitrate, potassium and phosphates that pollute the water
. The contamination of groundwater occurs as a result of leaching due to nitrate. The ground and surface waters are infested with heavy metals, whose concentration poses a threat to humans and animals.
How pesticides affect wetlands?
Insecticides used to control adult, salt-marsh mosquitos in residential developments near wetlands can result in inputs to coastal wet- lands from unintentional overspray of wetland hab- itats, movement of spray drift from the residential area to the wetland, or subsequent runoff from land sites to the wetland [16,17].
What are the pros and cons of pesticides?
| Pesticide Pros Pesticide Cons | Pesticides can increase crop yields Pesticides can harm the health of farmers | May improve the growth behavior of plants Pesticides may contaminate crops | Can help to stop the spread of diseases May lead to soil pollution |
|---|
How do pesticides affect the environment soil water biodiversity?
The use of pesticides
decreases the general biodiversity in the soil
. Soil quality is higher without chemicals and this allows for higher water retention, necessary for plants to grow.
How do pesticides affect global warming?
Pesticides impact climate change throughout their manufacture, transport and application.
When pesticides are made, three main greenhouse gases are emitted: carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide
.
How pesticides affect the balance of the ecosystem?
More generally, pesticides
reduce species diversity in the animal kingdom and contribute to population decline in animals and plants by destroying habitats, reducing food supplies and impairing reproduction
(Kegley, et al, 1999).
How do pesticides affect fish?
Fish can be directly or indirectly impacted by pesticides.
Some long-term exposures cause abnormalities or mutations in developing fish larvae, while acute exposure can cause immediate fish die-offs
. The liver, kidney, brain and gills of exposed fish are extremely vulnerable to chemical exposure.
How do pesticides affect the environment and human health?
This is evidence of the magnitude of pesticides’ impact on the environment and human health.
Pesticide exposure has been linked to diseases, such as cancer, as well as to neurotoxicity and neurodegenerative disorders
.
How do pesticides harm aquatic wildlife?
Spraying herbicides to kill all aquatic plants can result in
severely low oxygen levels and the suffocation of fish
. Using herbicides to completely “clean up” a pond will significantly reduce fish habitat, food supply, dissolved oxygen, and fish productivity.
How do pesticides affect plants?
Pesticides may impact the crop physiology through various disruptions, such as
perturbation in the development of the reproductive organs, growth reduction, and alteration of the carbon and/or nitrogen metabolism, leading to a lower nutrient availability for plant growth
.
How does pesticide affect the interaction of groundwater and surface water?
Groundwater contamination:
Pesticides, when sprayed on crop plants, are able to flow below the surface of the ground, reaching water-bearing aquifers, thereby contaminating groundwater
, making it unsuitable for both human and agricultural uses.
How do pesticides cause pollution?
The environment (air, soil and water) can be contaminated by
pesticide overuse, spills, leaking storage tanks, rainwater runoff from over-treated areas, spray drift, and improper disposal of pesticides
, among other ways.
Do pesticides contain salt?
Pesticide products containing zinc salts were first registered in the U.S. in 1973. At present, 10 such products are registered.
Nine of these products contain zinc salts as their only active ingredient; one also contains another active ingredient
.
