Negative Essay: The Impact Of Pesticides On The Brain

The Impact of Pesticides on the Brain In 1962, Rachel Carson startled the pesticide industry with her research and endeavors to educate the public about the statistical evidence of the harmful effects of chemical pesticides in the environment. This environmental movement helped to ban toxic chemicals, such as DDT. However, over the years the restrictions and regulations on the pesticide chemicals began to ease and the agricultural industry continued to increase the use of pesticides. In the farming industry the pesticides play a major role in increasing production yields and therefore making produce more affordable. However, the increase in brain tumors in agricultural workers and brain damage in children have caused scientists and doctors to investigate this dilemma by conducting a variety of studies to determine if the chemicals in pesticides have an impact on the brain. Although pesticides are designed to be beneficial, studies reveal pesticides have an impact on the brain, especially on children and agricultural workers.

To begin, common sense dictates that children are considered most susceptible to pesticides because they interact with the environment differently than adults. Young children crawl around floors and

The researchers chose this area because it has one of the highest number of brain cancer cases there. The vineyard farmers mix and spray the pesticides they use for their produce. Therefore, they encounter direct contact with the pesticide. The studies revealed the conclusion, “These data suggest that a high level of occupational exposure to pesticides might be associated with an excess risk of brain tumours, and especially of gliomas,” (Provost, et al). Hence, another indication of the impact of the pesticides on the