Background Information Atrazine is one the most widely used pesticide in the United States used for commercial farming. It’s purpose as a pesticide is to limit the weeds and unnecessary plants that would take nutrition from the crops that the farmers are trying to grow. Atrazine is supposedly known for increasing crop yield up to six percent according to a cost benefit analysis, but in other more in depth studies the only increase crop yield by one percent (Ackerman 1). Currently “the wet years as much as 7% or more of total Atrazine applied can be lost to surface water sources”, according to the prompt of the assignment. Meaning 7% of Atrazine goes into Americans water sources. What to do With Atrazine With the significant data behind how Atrazine is bad for the health of America, I feel as if it should be banned. In this paper I will back my stance up with facts about the effects of atrazine in the water, how long Atrazine remains in the environment, the impact …show more content…
The effects in their crop yield did not suffer, but their drinking water still has remains of Atrazine (Akerman). When Atrazine gets in contact with soil it stays on the surface for weeks. It then goes into deep layers where it can stay for years. When it is a wet year, the rain can take the sitting Atrazine and the Atrazine stored in the soil from years before and drain it into the drinking supply (Cornell). So even with the ban for Atrazine countries still have the effects in their water. Human and Animal Impact The human effects of Atrazine vary from who is preforming the studies, but the animal effect of Atrazine is extremely clear. A study with frogs with extremely low level of exposure resulted in hermaphrodism. Many studies have shown similar result with male sex organs producing less sperm when Atrazine is present (Ackerman). No studies can currently conclude that Atrazine in drinking water can result in cancer (EPA).
Pesticides in ground water seems to be a continual problem with people nowadays, because they think that the pesticides don't soak into the ground water. They believe that when a pesticide is sprayed on a plant, the leaves are what pick up the pesticide but thats false, the roots pick up the pesticides which proves that the pesticides have to soak at least a few feet into the ground.
Hayes et al. 2002. Hermaphroditic, demasculinized frogs after exposure to the herbicide atrazine at low ecologically relevant doses. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 99: 5476–5480.
Use of pesticides & other fertilizers infuse nitrogen oxide into the water bodies acidifying the water which kills the plants and aquatic animals living in
There is no barrier between the farms and the rest of the community. Atrazine is extremely water soluble; almost no aquatic waterways are atrazine-free. Atrazine has show effects in fish, amphibians, reptiles, and mammals, including humans. It is what is known as an endocrine disruptor. Endocrine disruptors are chemicals that interfere with the hormone systems in animals (US EPA). Atrazine causes testosterone to convert into estrogen, causing negative impacts on the reproductive system. Frogs are a good indicator species because they spend their whole life in water. Frogs exposed to atrazine have been known to change gender completely. This is concerning to humans because there is a direct correlation between some cancers and
Risperidone, an atypical antipsychotic belonging to the chemical class of benzisoxazole derivatives. The chemical designation is 3-[2-[4-(6-fluoro-1,2-benzisoxazol-3-yl)1-piperidinyl]ethyl]-6,7,8,9-tetrahydro-2-methyl-4H-pyrido[1,2-a]pyrimidin-4-one. Risperidone is used to treat certain mental/mood disorders (such as schizophrenia,bipolar disorder, irritability associated with autistic disorder). This medication can help you to think clearly and take part in everyday life. Risperidone is rapidly and well absorbed after oral administration and has high bioavailability.Metabolism is catalyzed by the liver cytochrome P450 (CYP) system, particularly by CYP2D6 and CYP3A4.9-OHrisperidone has a similar pharmacologic profile and potency as risperidone11;
In 1952, India was the first country to introduce pesticides to the world. Over sixty years ago, the world population stood at approximately 2.7 billion. Today the world population stands at over 7.4 billion (worldometers, 2016). Due to the upturn in global population, pesticides play a crucial role in the ability to produce adequate food to sustain our ever growing population. Pesticides not only carry multiple benefits for public health, they also help to boost our economy.
The advancement in chemical technology with these improved pesticides has created improvements in the public health as well. From this, perhaps, we have become careless in our use and control of them. While there are many positive points, there are also extreme risks involved in using th...
Spring brings many things. A host of these are very desirable, especially for those of us who have been cooped up in our homes for the past several months. How many of us have feverishly wished for a favorable weather forecast so that we can plant flowers, ride bikes, walk dogs, orchestrate lawns, and listen to chirping birds? Yet, spring also brings us a medley of a different sort-a toxic soup of chemicals. Much of this soup isn't thrust upon us from the outside; disturbingly, we choose to expose ourselves, our children, our neighbors, and our pets to these harmful chemicals. In 2013, Americans spent over $700,000,000 on pesticides (cumulatively weighing over sixty-five million pounds) for use on their lawns alone (1). One would think that properly informed humans wouldn't make such unhealthy and selfish decisions.
...s are dangerous and toxic. Despite the precaution taken in supplementing these chemicals into water, there still exists the probability that these hazardous chemicals will be reproduced by reactions with bodily fluids in areas where they may cause harm to the individual. The production of these chemicals is outlined in the previous section on Chemistry.
This book was focused on the concern of pesticides that industries, along with us as individuals, have been dumping (both knowingly and unknowingly) into water. Carson was concerned that the chemicals which the farmers spread on their fields, and even the chemicals we use in our homes (among others), in the end, might come back around and harm us. The beginning of the book tells a story of a place, that was once so beautiful, turned dead and ugly due to a “strange blight that crept over the area” and destroyed everything. Later in the book, she goes on to explain that chemicals, particularly one known as DDT, are the major cause of environmental damage and the near extinction of many bird species. The book states that pesticides have a long life-span when exposed to the environment, affecting it negatively for many years. It also discusses how these pesticides can inadvertently affect people. She uses the example that people sometimes use pesticide to kill mosquitoes. These mosquitoes might then be eaten by a fish, which is then eaten by a bird, which is then eaten by mammals, including humans. There is also the concern that pesticides can be lethal when someone is exposed to them multiple times over a long-term period. Although the direct exposure to the chemical at the time of application may not harm you, there is a chance that the chemical may build up in body fat, leading to high levels of toxins in that person....
Atropine has short yet important history with me. For most the past decade, I have had a hobby of identifying plants and weeds that grow in south central Pennsylvania. This hobby quickly turned into a hobby of collecting the most interesting of these plants and their seeds. One of the plants that grows commonly from southern Pa to northern New York is Woody nightshade, which is often confused with deadly nightshade, (google deadly nightshade and woody nightshade is bound to show in at least half if not more of the images that google displays). In trying to differentiate these two plants I ended up reading about atropine as it is a poison present in deadly nightshade. In reading about atropine and its uses, it influenced my interest in chemistry and allowed to realize my interest in learning about how chemicals interact with the human body especially poisons. In a sense this relatively simple molecule was the gate way to the finer points of my interest in chemistry, especially organic chemistry. Naturally deadly night shade has
When a person is exposed at an early age, there can be developmental delays, motor skill dysfunction, and behavioral disorders. Women who are pregnant are more susceptible to the side effects of pesticides, due to their already stressed out bodies. Pesticides can be passed from mother to child through breast milk, and through the skin when pesticides are absorbed through the skin and into the blood stream, ultimately affecting the mother as well as the fetus. Atrazine is one of the most widely used herbicide in the United States today, “Now researchers in Indiana are finding that a rare birth defect called’gastroschisis’ shows up more among babies conceived when atrazine levels are high” (Schafer, 2011,
Herbicides are extensively used in agriculture, sanitation, gardens and weed control. Terrestrial and aquatic environments are mainly polluted by indiscriminately used agriculture products [1]. They contaminate the food chains and display toxic effects in animals and the human population. In the last 60years, atrazine (2-chloro-4-ethylamino-6- isopropylamino-s-triazine) has been one of the most extensively used herbicides in agriculture and roadways, which has been considered as an endocrine disruptor, causing adverse effects on reproductive function mainly by altered sex hormone levels and gonadal abnormalities [2-6]. Possible intera...
Instead of using pesticides in farming a better alternative would be biological control. This is when a natural predator is released into the crop growing area as a result the number of pests can be reduced.
Professional audience: Toxicology is a multidisciplinary, scientific field, which studies the hazards and adverse effects of xenobiotic agents on biotic components of the ecosystem. These biotic components include, but are not limited to the following: humans, animals, and plants. More importantly, the field of toxicology is also used to construct preventative measures, treatment, and other amelioration strategies relative to the adverse health effects and the agent(s) being analyzed. The field of toxicology has evolved from a science focused on poisons