7a Considering the Hazards of pesticides and its Direct impact on humans there will be increased in demand on complete elimination of use of synthetic pesticides. Hazards of pesticides: If the credits of pesticides include enhanced economic potential in terms of increased production of food and fiber, and amelioration of vector-borne diseases, then their debits have resulted in serious health implications to man and his environment. There is now overwhelming evidence that some of these chemicals do pose a potential risk to humans and other life forms and unwanted side effects to the environment. No segment of the population is completely protected against exposure to pesticides and the potentially serious health effects, though a disproportionate burden, is shouldered by the people of developing countries and by high risk groups in each country. The world-wide deaths and chronic diseases due to pesticide poisoning number about 1 million per year. The high risk groups exposed to pesticides include production workers, formulators, sprayers, mixers, loaders and agricultural farm workers. During manufacture and formulation, the possibility of hazards may be higher because the processes involved are not risk free. In industrial settings, workers are at increased risk since they handle various toxic chemicals including pesticides, raw materials, toxic solvents and inert carriers. Eliminating pesticides Many alternatives are available to reduce the effects pesticides have on the environment. Alternatives include manual removal, applying heat, covering weeds with plastic, placing traps and lures, removing pest breeding sites, maintaining healthy soils that breed healthy, more resistant plants, cropping native species that are naturally more resistant to native pests and supporting biocontrol agents such as birds and other pest predators. In the United States, conventional pesticide use peaked in 1979, and by 2007, had been reduced by 25 percent from the 1979 peak level, while US agricultural output increased by 43 percent over the same period. Biological controls such as resistant plant varieties and the use of pheromones, have been successful and at times permanently resolve a pest problem.Integrated Pest Management (IPM) employs chemical use only when other alternatives are ineffective. IPM causes less harm to humans and the environment. The focus is broader than on a specific pest, considering a range of pest control alternatives. Biotechnology can also be an innovative way to control pests. Strains can be genetically modified (GM) to increase their resistance to pests. However the same techniques can be used to increase pesticide resistance and was employed by Monsanto to create glyphosate-resistant strains of major crops. In 2010, 70% of all the corn that was planted was resistant to glyphosate; 78% of cotton, and 93% of all soybeans 7b According to an organic food advocacy group, the Environmental Working Group, buying certain organic food can .

1. 7a
Considering the Hazards of pesticides and its Direct impact on humans there will be increased in
demand on complete elimination of use of synthetic pesticides.
Hazards of pesticides: If the credits of pesticides include enhanced economic potential in terms
of increased production of food and fiber, and amelioration of vector-borne diseases, then their
debits have resulted in serious health implications to man and his environment. There is now
overwhelming evidence that some of these chemicals do pose a potential risk to humans and
other life forms and unwanted side effects to the environment. No segment of the population is
completely protected against exposure to pesticides and the potentially serious health effects,
though a disproportionate burden, is shouldered by the people of developing countries and by
high risk groups in each country. The world-wide deaths and chronic diseases due to pesticide
poisoning number about 1 million per year.
The high risk groups exposed to pesticides include production workers, formulators, sprayers,
mixers, loaders and agricultural farm workers. During manufacture and formulation, the
possibility of hazards may be higher because the processes involved are not risk free. In
industrial settings, workers are at increased risk since they handle various toxic chemicals
including pesticides, raw materials, toxic solvents and inert carriers.
Eliminating pesticides
Many alternatives are available to reduce the effects pesticides have on the environment.
Alternatives include manual removal, applying heat, covering weeds with plastic, placing traps
and lures, removing pest breeding sites, maintaining healthy soils that breed healthy, more
resistant plants, cropping native species that are naturally more resistant to native pests and
supporting biocontrol agents such as birds and other pest predators. In the United States,
conventional pesticide use peaked in 1979, and by 2007, had been reduced by 25 percent from
the 1979 peak level, while US agricultural output increased by 43 percent over the same period.
Biological controls such as resistant plant varieties and the use of pheromones, have been
successful and at times permanently resolve a pest problem.Integrated Pest Management (IPM)
employs chemical use only when other alternatives are ineffective. IPM causes less harm to
humans and the environment. The focus is broader than on a specific pest, considering a range of
pest control alternatives. Biotechnology can also be an innovative way to control pests. Strains
can be genetically modified (GM) to increase their resistance to pests. However the same
techniques can be used to increase pesticide resistance and was employed by Monsanto to create
glyphosate-resistant strains of major crops. In 2010, 70% of all the corn that was planted was
resistant to glyphosate; 78% of cotton, and 93% of all soybeans
7b

2. According to an organic food advocacy group, the Environmental Working Group, buying
certain organic food can significantly lower residue exposure by as much as about 90%, and they
came up with a list of foods they claimed contained high amounts of pesticide residue. Even
though the dirty dozen foods may have more pesticide residue than other produce, their level of
residue is still very small compared to doses actually found to have an effect with chronic low-
level exposure. A study calculated long term consumer exposure to these pesticides; it was found
exposure levels were 1000 times less than the lowest levels shown to have an effect. The
scientific evidence shows that there is a very low risk associated with eating these foods despite
their dubious label.
What are the health risks associated with pesticide residues in food?
Pesticides are chemicals used in agriculture to protect crops against insects, fungi, weeds and
other pests. In addition to their use in agriculture, pesticides are also used to protect public health
in controlling the vectors of tropical diseases, such as mosquitoes.
But pesticides are also potentially toxic to humans. They may induce adverse health effects
including cancer, effects on reproduction, immune or nervous systems. Before they can be
authorized for use, pesticides should be tested for all possible health effects and the results
should be analysed by experts to assess any risks to humans.
“Hazard” and “risk”: what is the difference?
Scientific studies of the potential health effects of hazardous chemicals, such as pesticides, allow
them to be classified as carcinogenic (can cause cancer), neurotoxic (can cause damage to the
brain), or teratogenic (can cause damage to a fetus). This process of classification, called “hazard
identification,” is the first step of “risk assessment”. An example of hazard identification is the
classification of substances according to their carcinogenicity to humans carried out by the
International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), the specialized cancer agency of WHO.
The same chemical can have different effects at different doses, which depends on how much of
the chemical a person is exposed to. It can also depend on the route by which the exposure
occurs, e.g. ingestion, inhalation or injection.
Risk assessment for pesticide residues in food, as conducted by the Joint FAO/WHO Meeting on
Pesticide Residues (JMPR), establishes a safe intake level after assessing the level of risk.
Acceptable daily intakes (ADIs) are used by governments and international risk managers, such
as the Codex Alimentarius Commission, to establish maximum residue limits (MRLs) for
pesticides in food. MRLs are enforced by national authorities to ensure that the amount of
pesticide residues consumers are exposed to through eating food over a lifetime will not have
adverse health effects.
IARC’s hazard identification can inform the JMPR’s risk assessment, and thus the two processes
can be complementary. For example, IARC may identify new evidence from scientific studies on

3. the carcinogenicity of a chemical and, when necessary, JMPR conducts an evaluation or a re-
evaluation of the safety of that chemical as it is used in agriculture and occurs in food.
7c
Common examples of natural toxins in food plants include glycoalkaloids in potatoes, cyanide-
generating compounds in bitter apricot seeds and bamboo shoots, enzyme inhibitors and lectins
in soya beans, green beans and other legumes.
Natural Toxins Present in Food of Animal Origin
Natural toxin of animal origin may be a product of metabolism or a chemical that is passed along
the food chain. While poisoning after eating terrestrial animals is relatively uncommon,
poisoning due to marine toxins occurs in many parts of the world. Marine toxins produced by
toxic microalgae are accumulated in shellfish, crustacean and finfish following their
consumption. Tetrodotoxin, a potent marine neurotoxin, is thought to be produced by certain
bacteria. It is found in over 90 species of puffer fish and may cause lethality after ingested even a
small amount. Seafood poisoning commonly reported in coral reef fish is due to the presence of
ciguatoxin that may be found in more than 300 species of fish. Histamine produced by bacterial
spoilage of scombroid fish causes another kind of seafood poisoning.
Solution
7a
Considering the Hazards of pesticides and its Direct impact on humans there will be increased in
demand on complete elimination of use of synthetic pesticides.
Hazards of pesticides: If the credits of pesticides include enhanced economic potential in terms
of increased production of food and fiber, and amelioration of vector-borne diseases, then their
debits have resulted in serious health implications to man and his environment. There is now
overwhelming evidence that some of these chemicals do pose a potential risk to humans and
other life forms and unwanted side effects to the environment. No segment of the population is
completely protected against exposure to pesticides and the potentially serious health effects,
though a disproportionate burden, is shouldered by the people of developing countries and by
high risk groups in each country. The world-wide deaths and chronic diseases due to pesticide
poisoning number about 1 million per year.
The high risk groups exposed to pesticides include production workers, formulators, sprayers,
mixers, loaders and agricultural farm workers. During manufacture and formulation, the
possibility of hazards may be higher because the processes involved are not risk free. In
industrial settings, workers are at increased risk since they handle various toxic chemicals
including pesticides, raw materials, toxic solvents and inert carriers.

4. Eliminating pesticides
Many alternatives are available to reduce the effects pesticides have on the environment.
Alternatives include manual removal, applying heat, covering weeds with plastic, placing traps
and lures, removing pest breeding sites, maintaining healthy soils that breed healthy, more
resistant plants, cropping native species that are naturally more resistant to native pests and
supporting biocontrol agents such as birds and other pest predators. In the United States,
conventional pesticide use peaked in 1979, and by 2007, had been reduced by 25 percent from
the 1979 peak level, while US agricultural output increased by 43 percent over the same period.
Biological controls such as resistant plant varieties and the use of pheromones, have been
successful and at times permanently resolve a pest problem.Integrated Pest Management (IPM)
employs chemical use only when other alternatives are ineffective. IPM causes less harm to
humans and the environment. The focus is broader than on a specific pest, considering a range of
pest control alternatives. Biotechnology can also be an innovative way to control pests. Strains
can be genetically modified (GM) to increase their resistance to pests. However the same
techniques can be used to increase pesticide resistance and was employed by Monsanto to create
glyphosate-resistant strains of major crops. In 2010, 70% of all the corn that was planted was
resistant to glyphosate; 78% of cotton, and 93% of all soybeans
7b
According to an organic food advocacy group, the Environmental Working Group, buying
certain organic food can significantly lower residue exposure by as much as about 90%, and they
came up with a list of foods they claimed contained high amounts of pesticide residue. Even
though the dirty dozen foods may have more pesticide residue than other produce, their level of
residue is still very small compared to doses actually found to have an effect with chronic low-
level exposure. A study calculated long term consumer exposure to these pesticides; it was found
exposure levels were 1000 times less than the lowest levels shown to have an effect. The
scientific evidence shows that there is a very low risk associated with eating these foods despite
their dubious label.
What are the health risks associated with pesticide residues in food?
Pesticides are chemicals used in agriculture to protect crops against insects, fungi, weeds and
other pests. In addition to their use in agriculture, pesticides are also used to protect public health
in controlling the vectors of tropical diseases, such as mosquitoes.
But pesticides are also potentially toxic to humans. They may induce adverse health effects
including cancer, effects on reproduction, immune or nervous systems. Before they can be
authorized for use, pesticides should be tested for all possible health effects and the results
should be analysed by experts to assess any risks to humans.
“Hazard” and “risk”: what is the difference?

5. Scientific studies of the potential health effects of hazardous chemicals, such as pesticides, allow
them to be classified as carcinogenic (can cause cancer), neurotoxic (can cause damage to the
brain), or teratogenic (can cause damage to a fetus). This process of classification, called “hazard
identification,” is the first step of “risk assessment”. An example of hazard identification is the
classification of substances according to their carcinogenicity to humans carried out by the
International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), the specialized cancer agency of WHO.
The same chemical can have different effects at different doses, which depends on how much of
the chemical a person is exposed to. It can also depend on the route by which the exposure
occurs, e.g. ingestion, inhalation or injection.
Risk assessment for pesticide residues in food, as conducted by the Joint FAO/WHO Meeting on
Pesticide Residues (JMPR), establishes a safe intake level after assessing the level of risk.
Acceptable daily intakes (ADIs) are used by governments and international risk managers, such
as the Codex Alimentarius Commission, to establish maximum residue limits (MRLs) for
pesticides in food. MRLs are enforced by national authorities to ensure that the amount of
pesticide residues consumers are exposed to through eating food over a lifetime will not have
adverse health effects.
IARC’s hazard identification can inform the JMPR’s risk assessment, and thus the two processes
can be complementary. For example, IARC may identify new evidence from scientific studies on
the carcinogenicity of a chemical and, when necessary, JMPR conducts an evaluation or a re-
evaluation of the safety of that chemical as it is used in agriculture and occurs in food.
7c
Common examples of natural toxins in food plants include glycoalkaloids in potatoes, cyanide-
generating compounds in bitter apricot seeds and bamboo shoots, enzyme inhibitors and lectins
in soya beans, green beans and other legumes.
Natural Toxins Present in Food of Animal Origin
Natural toxin of animal origin may be a product of metabolism or a chemical that is passed along
the food chain. While poisoning after eating terrestrial animals is relatively uncommon,
poisoning due to marine toxins occurs in many parts of the world. Marine toxins produced by
toxic microalgae are accumulated in shellfish, crustacean and finfish following their
consumption. Tetrodotoxin, a potent marine neurotoxin, is thought to be produced by certain
bacteria. It is found in over 90 species of puffer fish and may cause lethality after ingested even a
small amount. Seafood poisoning commonly reported in coral reef fish is due to the presence of
ciguatoxin that may be found in more than 300 species of fish. Histamine produced by bacterial
spoilage of scombroid fish causes another kind of seafood poisoning.