Pesticides are products used in agriculture to kill pests, eliminate diseases and eliminate invasive plants that can harm the development of a crop. Despite the benefits for agriculture, pesticides are extremely harmful to living beings and can trigger contamination and pollution of soil, water and even the air.
O ground regions where agriculture is practiced is often exposed to pesticides. This contamination can occur as a result of the direct application of the products on the plants, or through the use of contaminated water and contact with improperly discarded packaging.
As the soil is able to retain large amounts of contaminants, over time, pesticides they weaken it and reduce its fertility. They can also trigger the death of mycorrhizae, reduce soil biodiversity, cause acidity, among other problems.
O air it is also exposed to pesticides, which can remain in suspension. These products in the atmosphere can lead to intoxication of people and other living organisms that breathe contaminated air.
At waters they are also frequently contaminated by pesticides. According to IBGE, river contamination by these products is second only to sewage contamination. In this case, rivers and lakes can come into contact with the product through the intentional release and through surface runoff from places where the use of pesticides is carried out.
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In waters, the impact of pesticides depends on the type of substance that was used and also on the stability of the affected environment. In the most serious cases, pesticides can trigger the death of several species of aquatic plants and animals, influencing the entire aquatic community.
Pesticides in water do not only affect species that live in this environment. Man, for example, can suffer from contamination by pesticides when he eats a fish that lives in an area contaminated by this type of product. Some species do not die from contact with pesticides, but end up accumulating them in their bodies. This accumulation causes the product to be passed through the food chain, thus harming other species.
Depending on the type of pesticide ingested by man, he can suffer serious health damage and even die. Among the most recurrent problems are injuries to the kidneys, cancers, reduced fertility, nervous system problems, seizures and poisoning.
Therefore, given so many problems caused by pesticides, it is essential that there is an adequate disposal and that the application of these products is done prudently and rigorously. In addition, it is important that new ways to protect crops are created with a view to reducing environmental impacts and health risks to living beings.
By Ma. Vanessa dos Santos
Would you like to reference this text in a school or academic work? Look:
SANTOS, Vanessa Sardinha dos. "Environmental contamination by pesticides"; Brazil School. Available in: https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/biologia/contaminacao-ambiental-por-agrotoxicos.htm. Accessed on June 27, 2021.
