Multiple Reasons Why You Should Invest in Pesticides-Free Products
Pesticides are all around us – and unfortunately inside our bodies too.What are Pesticides? Pesticides: The Unavoidable Toxic Substances
Pesticides are nearly impossible to avoid, they are on and in our food, farmers and workers are exposed to them, neighbors next door can be exposed to pesticide drift and pesticides can even be found in parks, playgrounds and pavement (Pesticide Action Network UK, 2014). The word pesticide is used to describe a wide variety of toxic chemicals including insecticides (used to kill bugs), herbicides (used to kill weeds) and fungicides (used to kill fungus) as well as rodenticides and antimicrobials (Pesticide Action Network, 2020). Pesticides can be found not only on farms, and in food and but in household cleaners, sand soaps, and other products.
Pesticides were invented to make our lives easier, to eliminate pests and allow plants to grow to their full potential on farms. However, pesticides are increasingly causing detrimental problems, despite doing their original intended job. Long term use of pesticides is creating “superbugs” and “superweeds”, plants and animals that are either immune to pesticides or require a larger dosage to be dealt with. Pesticide resistance is steadily increasing. In 1940, farmers lost approximately seven percent of their crops due to pests, while in the 1980s, farmers lost 13 percent of crops. Scientists estimate that there are now 500-1000 insect and weed species who have pesticide resistance (Pesticide Action Network, 2020).
Pesticides in the Bodies of Americans
The CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention) has been monitoring levels of pesticides in American’s bodies since 1999 with a survey known as NHANES (The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey). The 1999-2000 cycle included 9,282 people, where they were tested for 116 chemicals, including 34 pesticides. The results of this survey are shocking. One hundred percent of the people tested had at least 23 pesticides in their bodies. Ninety-nine percent of all people had detectable levels of DDT and 93% had detectable levels of chlorpyrifos, an insecticide.
Above chart depicts Americans tested in the 1999-2000 survey of NHANES and their pesticide levels. Image via Panna.org
Pesticide Laws and Regulations
In the United States, the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) is in charge of regulating and registering pesticides. There are four main laws considered by the EPA when dealing with registering and regulating the usage of pesticides.
1. The Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act provides protection for children and sets tolerances for pesticide residue, such as how much can be left on produce in the grocery store.
2. The Food Quality Protection Act of 1996 established a safety standard to protect children from pesticides not just in food but in residential areas as well.
3. The Endangered Species Act of 1973 states that pesticides that will harm endangered species must not be allowed to register.
4. The Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act grants the EPA permission to use risk/benefit standards when considering registering pesticides.
In addition to these federal laws in the United States, individual states, cities, and counties have a right to put their own regulations in place if they see fit.
There are two International treaties that concern pesticides:
1. Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs Treaty) – This treaty focuses specifically on toxins that are known to move easily around the world whether that be through water or wind. DDT falls under this treaty’s rules.
2. Rotterdam Convention on Prior Informed Consent (PIC Treaty) – This treaty allows countries to refuse to import “highly hazardous” toxins, assisting developing countries in preventing pesticide-related fatalities.
In addition to the United States, many countries have their own regulations regarding pesticides. The regulations put in place by the United States are quite weak compared to other developed countries.
Impacts of Pesticides on Humans
In the United States alone, approximately one billion pounds of pesticides are used (PAN, 2020). Those who work directly applying pesticides or around them, like farmers and those who live in the surrounding communities are the ones at the highest level of risk. Those who spend time near select schools, parks and golf courses may also be at a high-risk level.
Even if you aren’t in one of these high-risk categories, you’re still facing pesticide exposure in your day to day life. Typical consumers are exposed to pesticides through food and water. PAN states that a herbicide known as atrazine is found in 94% of US drinking water (2020).
There are two types of toxicity associated with humans and pesticides.
1. Acute Toxicity – Acute toxicity is the almost immediate toxic reaction (within 48 hours) that pesticides can have after just one episode of skin contact, ingestion or inhalation. Symptoms can include:
· Coughing, sore throat or respiratory irritation
· Allergic sensitization
· Eye and skin irritation
· Nausea, vomiting
· Headache or complete loss of consciousness
· Weakness, seizures and/or death
2. Chronic Toxicity – Chronic toxicity includes all of the harmful effects of pesticides over an extended period of time. Small, one time doses may not always have immediate effects on each person, but effects will surely arise after long term exposure.
Symptoms can include a relation to the development of the following:
· Parkinson’s disease
· Asthma
· Depression and anxiety
· ADHD (Attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder)
· Cancer, including leukemia and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma
You should be concerned about your pesticide exposure. PAN also discusses the ‘cocktail effect’. The ‘cocktail effect’ is the effect of humans being exposed to multiple pesticides, a cocktail of them, and we don’t know what this consistent exposure is going to do to our bodies. Despite one’s best efforts to avoid pesticides, it’s physically impossible, as even if you grow your own food, the wind or water may bring pesticides into your garden and home.
Impacts of Pesticides on the Environment
Not only do pesticides have very harmful effects on humans, but they have disastrous effects on the environment as well. As mentioned above, long term use of pesticides is creating superbugs and superweeds, all of whom require an additional dosage of pesticides to be rid of.
Bees, an important environmental player, have been found to be mentally confused by pesticides, flying away from their colony and becoming eventually no longer able to survive. Without bees, our food supply will plummet as bees are needed to pollinate our crops. Pesticides are also wiping out forests and contaminating rivers and soils, making soil health poor for growing new crops.
Pesticide Corporation Responsibility
Of course, pesticides are not designed to enter our bodies. However, they have become unavoidable for 100% of Americans, regardless of geographical location. We ask the question, who needs to be held responsible? Governments? Pesticide Corporations? Surely, this issue is out of the average consumer’s hands. There is little doubt that pesticide corporations are first and foremost responsible, and that the government’s regulations follow in at a close second.
Major companies who produce pesticides like Syngenta, Monsanto, BASF, Dow, DuPont, and Bayer control 65% of the agrochemical market in the United States, roughly $5.59 billion of the $8.6 billion dollar market in one country alone (Panna, 2020). Profit is a large driving factor of these companies, while health and environmental impacts seem to be the last on their list.
Worldwide, pesticide companies commonly use their combined $27.8 billion dollars to influence politics, media, science, and education (Panna, 2020). This influence is used to promote their toxic products and soften regulations against them. Sneaky, but unfortunately nobody is stopping them.
Organic Cotton versus Conventional Cotton
The organic industry is growing and Gallant International is growing with it. In 2015, sales of organic products hit $43.3 billion, the highest measured record to date. Organic fibers are the leading non-food product of the organic industry, with sales topping $1.3 billion. Cotton represents about 35% of the world’s textile market and cottonseed oil is often consumed by both livestock and humans.
Conventional cotton is riddled with GMOs, 90-95% of that being GMO seeds from Monsanto, who also is a key ‘leader’ in the pesticide industry. GMO seeds put corporations in control, putting farmer’s land and profits at risk. Conventional cotton also has some of the highest pesticide usages, and after harvesting, it’s often subjected to bleach, heavy metal dyes and formaldehyde resins (a key ingredient in making an item wrinkle or stain-free). According to the World Health Organization, 40,000 deaths are attributed to agricultural pesticide poisoning each year.
Organic cotton is grown, processed, dyed and made into products according to organic standards. It’s grown with natural means and uses sustainable practices, including being mostly rain-fed. Organic cotton benefits farmers, communities, our planet, wildlife, and consumers, as it’s both safe and healthy for all. All of our products including cosmetic bags wholesale and wholesale organic cotton t-shirts are made with certified organic cotton.