Lesson 53: Chemical Treatment: Promises and Problems
In this lesson, we will be discussing the pros and
cons of using chemical treatment for pest control.
Chemical methods of eradicating pests have been successful in eliminating pests
and thus allowing agricultural production to take off. Arguments to keep the
same method of pest control remain, the prominent argument being, "It worked in
the past, so why not now?"
However, many chemical pesticides have been attributed to poor health and even
poisoning in humans, as well as severe damage to birds, fish, wildlife and
small mammals.
There have been several problems with pesticide use. People have reported
chemical poisoning from exposure to pesticides, the use of pesticides by
untrained people being the primary reason. According to the World Health
Organization (WHO), there are 3 million reported deaths a year from pesticide
poisoning.
Pesticides have killed off birds, aquatic life and
small mammals. Pests also develop resistance to pesticides,
becoming harder to defeat.