Pesticides can contaminate the environment through various pathways after application. They can spread through the air via volatilization and wind, polluting nearby areas. Pesticides also pollute water sources through direct spraying, leaching into soil, and runoff. When water becomes contaminated, it can harm aquatic life, reduce drinking water quality, and impact irrigation. Pesticides also pollute soils by affecting microorganisms and decreasing fertility. Long-term pesticide use can lead to bioaccumulation in animals and biomagnification up the food chain. Integrated pest management and careful pesticide selection, application, disposal, and avoidance of heavy rain can help minimize environmental pollution.

1. Effects of Pesticides on
Environment
By Umair Rasool Azmi

2. What are Pesticides
• Simply we cansaythechemical substancesuseto control insect pests and
weeds.

3. What happens to Pesticide after application
• Pesticides haveability to contaminate every part of the environment.

4. Air Pollution Caused by Pesticides
 Pesticidescanspreadby
• Volatilization
• Blown by winds into near-byareas.
 Factors affecting spreadingof pesticide in the air
• Weather conditions at the time of application
• Temperature
• Relative humidity
 Groundsprayingproduceslessspread than aerialspraying.

5. Water Pollution Caused by Pesticides
 Thereare three major routes through which pesticides reachthe water.
• During spray e.g. in rice.
• Maypercolate, or leach, through thesoil.
• It may be carried by thewater asrunoff.
 After contaminating the water it makeslot of problems
• Killing under water life.
• Reducethe quality of drinkingwater.
• Reducethe amount of water available forcultivation.
• Altering the physical characteristics of water bodies.
 Insecticidesare typically more toxic to aquatic life than
herbicides and fungicides.

6. Soil Pollution Caused by Pesticides
• SoilContamination
• Affect soil micro-organisms.
• Decreasesoil fertility.
• Affect plant growth.

7. Effect of Pesticides on Plants
• Reduce nitrogenfixation.
• Pesticidescankill beesand decline thepollinators due to which crop
pollination is effected.

8. • Pesticidescaneliminate someanimals essential foodsources.
• Earthworms digest organic matter and increasenutrient content in the top
layer of soil. Pesticideshaveharmful effects on growth and reproduction
onearthworms.
• Pesticide exposurecanbe linked to cancer,liver damage,birth defects and
developmental changesina wide range of species
Effect of Pesticides on Animals

9. Bioaccumulation
• If any individual continuously consume contaminated food it will
accumulatein the body up to a toxic level, this is called bioaccumulation.

10. Biomagnification
• Increase in concentration of a pollutant in food chain.

11. Resistance development
• When pesticide uselong period of time, somepest become resistance to the
pesticide.
• Becauseof resistance development pest control becomes difficult

12. Minimizing Pesticide Pollution
• Use Integrated Pest Management (IPM)
• Select Pesticide Carefully
• Follow label directions
• Consider Soil Characteristics
• Apply only recommended dose of pesticide
• Do not apply pesticide when there is heavy rain in the forecast.
• Dispose pesticides wastes properly