Pesticides

Do you buy organic food and never let a can of roach spray or insect repellant through your door? Or do you get your home sprayed every 3 months, put a flea collar on your dog, keep a can of Off! on your deck, and spray your tomato plants to deter the earworms, leaf miners, spider mites, thrips, hornworms and white flies?

The no-pesticide diehard may change their mind when their aunt in Connecticut gets a severe, disabling case of Lyme disease after a tick bite. The pro-pesticide user may feel haunted when their child gets lymphoblastic leukemia and they hear that exposure to pesticides might increase the risk.

There’s a trade-off in using pesticides to kill bugs, fungus, mold, rodents and bacteria. Trying to balance the harms and benefits can be as pesky as the pests themselves.

We’ll tell you about some of the risks and benefits of the use of pesticides on food, on your skin and around your home--and how you can lower them.

What are the risks of pesticides?

This is hard to study because scientists can’t expose pregnant women, infants or kids to pesticides on purpose. They can do that to small mammals like mice. And they can measure the pesticides in mothers’ and kids’ urine, or in their environments, and compare that to health outcomes. But we often don’t know if pesticides were what caused any health problems they find.

Experts say that fetuses, infants and children are more vulnerable to pesticide exposure than adults. Their bodies and brains are still developing. They eat and drink more in relation to their body weight. They get more exposure since they often put things in their mouths, and play on the floor and outside on lawns that have been treated with pesticides. Many scientists think that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) hasn’t properly weighed the effects of pesticides on children.

• Fetuses, infants and children exposed to higher levels of pesticides have higher rates of:
  • Fetal death
  • Low birth weight
  • Birth defects
  • Autism and other developmental delays
  • Asthma
  • ADHD
  • Poorer performance on tests of IQ, attention, information processing, verbal ability, memory and coordination
  • Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL)
    
• Adults exposed to higher pesticide levels (like farm workers) have higher rates of:
  • Rheumatoid arthritis
  • Lupus
  • Asthma
  • Diabetes
  • Connective tissue disease
  • Nerve damage
  • Cancer
  • Parkinson’s disease
  • Problems with memory and thinking

What are some potential benefits of pesticides?

They can protect us from serious, even deadly, diseases by killing the things that cause them. For example:

• Diseases from tick bites like Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, tularemia and babesiosis
• Diseases spread by mosquitoes like West Nile virus, St. Louis encephalitis and dengue fever in the U.S. and malaria, elephantiasis, and yellow fever worldwide
• Diseases spread by rodents like the plague
• Mold-related illnesses like allergies, asthma and bronchopulmonary aspergillosis

 Pesticides (which include herbicides used to kill weeds) can also:

• Increase food yields, preventing malnutrition and lowering food prices
• Disinfect indoor areas (e.g., kitchens, operating rooms, nursing homes)
• Prevent or treat termite, rodent and insect infestations, especially in very warm climates or seasons

How do pesticides get into our bodies?

• Food  Pesticides have been used to grow most of the foods we eat. There may be residues inside or on the surfaces of these foods. And some pesticides have spread across the world in wind and water.
• Home and personal use  You may use pesticides in and around your home to control insects, weeds, mold, mildew, bacteria, lawn and garden pests and to protect your pets from pests like ticks or fleas. You may use insect repellants directly on your skin or on clothing.
• Pesticides in drinking water  Some pesticides that are applied to farmland, golf courses and elsewhere can make their way in small amounts to the ground water or surface water systems that feed drinking water supplies.
• Exposure at work  Pesticide applicators, vegetable and fruit pickers and others who work around pesticides can be exposed due to the nature of their jobs. They may bring home residue on their boots, clothes, or bodies, exposing their families.<

How can I reduce the risk from pesticides in food?

Buying organic food is a quick, reliable way to reduce pesticide exposure--if you can afford it. It’s grown and processed without synthetic fertilizers or pesticides. Look for the "USDA ORGANIC" seal on food packaging to be sure that the food meets government standards.

Pesticide levels in most organic foods approach zero. But some, especially root veggies like carrots, may still have traces from the environment. The U.S. government has found perchlorate, a chemical in rocket fuel, in lettuce, bottled spring water and milk in many different regions. So organic food and drinks aren't 100% pure.

An EPA study found that levels of pesticides in children’s urine dropped immediately when they were put on an all-organic diet. They went back up when they ate conventional food again. If you're looking for the lowest levels you can find--and you’ve got the funds--go organic.

But don’t cut back on fruits and vegetables to avoid pesticides. The health benefits of non-organic produce are far greater than the risk from pesticide residue.

• Eat a variety of produce from different sources. You’ll be less likely to get too much of any specific pesticide.
• Wash and rinse all fresh fruits and vegetables with water before you cut, peel or eat them. Don't use soaps or detergents on produce.
• Throw out the outer leaves of vegetables like cabbage and lettuce.
• Cut off the fat from meat and poultry and the skin from fish. Pesticide residue is often stored in fat and skin.
• Buy conventionally grown fruits and vegetables that tend to have lower pesticide levels. They include avocados, bananas, broccoli, cauliflower, corn, kiwi, mangoes, onions, papaya, pineapple and peas.
• Buy organically grown fruits and vegetables that often have high pesticide levels when grown conventionally. They include apples, bell peppers, celery, cherries, imported grapes, nectarines, peaches, pears, potatoes, raspberries, spinach and strawberries.

How can I reduce the risks of pesticides at home?

• Consider giving up on perfectly weed-free lawns.
• Replace plants that need a lot of spraying with hardier ones.
• Remove standing water inside and outside your home. All pests need water, not just mosquitoes. Don’t provide it.
• Keep your house (especially your kitchen) clean to reduce the food supply for roaches and other pests. Don’t allow eating in other areas. Don't leave food or open garbage around for them to eat.
• Clean up pet waste in the yard. It can attract flies and bacteria.
• Make sure your gardens drain well.
• Discourage ticks and rodents in your yard. Keep play areas away from shrubs, bushes, and other vegetation. Remove leaf litter and clear tall grasses and brush. Put wood chips or gravel between lawns and wooded areas.
• Consult your County Cooperative Extension Service for help making your lawn and gardens healthier. Ask about using pest predators to control pests.
• Use weather-stripping and caulk to keep pests out of your home.
• Control fleas on pets by vacuuming your home, steam-cleaning carpets, washing pet bedding often, and using flea combs. If that doesn’t help consider keeping your pet indoors if you can. Ask your veterinarian about the best way to protect your pets from fleas and ticks and whether you need pesticides.

Remove residue:

• Wash children’s hands, toys, and bottles often. Regularly clean floors, window sills, and other surfaces to reduce pesticide residues.

Use pesticides safely when needed:

• Read the label.
  • If it says Danger-Poison you probably shouldn't be using it at all. In many cases these chemicals should only be used by certified people.
  • If it says Danger, it's either poisonous or corrosive. Be very careful--it could severely burn your skin or eyes.
  • If it says Warning, it's moderately hazardous.
  • Chemicals that say Caution are the least toxic.
• Be sure you're using the right pesticide for the pest you want to control.
• Read the safety instructions carefully and follow them. Cover your skin with washable or disposable clothes or coverings. Take off or cover things you can't decontaminate like leather shoes, belts or watchbands. Wear a mask or respirator if it says to.
• Remove children, pets and their toys from the area you're going to treat. Keep them away until the pesticide is totally dry and any fumes are gone. Read instructions on how long to keep humans and animals away. If possible use safer methods to control pests. For instance, you may be able to control fleas on pets with injections or pills rather than treating the whole house.
• Leave your shoes outside after applying the pesticide so you don’t track residue in. Change your clothes and wash your hands and face before you eat, smoke or use the bathroom. Wash the clothes you wore before you wear them again. Doing this protects you and family members.
• Keep the pesticide in the original labeled container so you can reread it easily every time you use it. Store as directed.
• Never put rat, mouse or insect bait where kids or pets can find and eat it.
• Follow instructions when you put insecticides on your skin to protect yourself from mosquitoes.
• Act fast if you are accidentally exposed to a pesticide. If there are serious symptoms, call 911 for emergency help. If there are no serious symptoms, follow the first aid instructions on the label and call a Poison Control Center for further instructions. Take the container with you if you go to a hospital.
• Get rid of leftover pesticides safely. Ideally, keep them in case you need them again. If that won’t work, and your friends or neighbors don’t want them, check with your local solid waste agency. Ask if they have a hazardous waste collection program for leftover pesticides. You can call 1-800-CLEANUP to find your local solid waste agency.
• Never pour leftover pesticides down the sink, into the toilet, or down a sewer or street drain. Pesticides can interfere with wastewater treatment systems and pollute waterways. Many municipal systems can’t remove all pesticide residues. If they reach waterways, they may harm fish, plants, and other living things.

What about pesticides in drinking water?

If you’re concerned we’ve got tips for you. Search for our NutritionWise article, Water, on our website.

How about pesticide exposure at work?

Your employer should uphold the EPA’s Worker Protection Standards and provide information on how to protect yourself at work. Follow the directions on all products you use.

Where can I get more information about pesticides?

You can find information online at Pesticides: Health and Safety or the National Pesticide Information Center.  Or call their hotline at 1-800-858-7378 Monday through Friday from 7:30 am to 3:30 pm Pacific Time.

We can all learn a lesson about the risks and benefits of pesticides from the example of the insecticide DDT. It saved countless lives by protecting our World War II troops and civilians from typhus and malaria in the South Pacific. But after the war, farmers used it widely. That almost killed off our national bird, the bald eagle. Many mosquitoes developed resistance to it, too. So it was banned in most countries around the world.

The eagle population has slowly come back. But so has malaria in some countries, killing millions of children under age 5 every year. Now the World Health Organization says that a limited use--spaying porous wood or mud walls with DDT--is 1 of the top 3 ways to control malaria. (Using bednets and treating people who have it with medicine are the others.) Very little DDT gets into the environment this way, and insects don’t get resistant. Many countries like South Africa have reintroduced it. But they use it wisely, with a balanced respect for people and the environment.

Updated on 4/9/2012 by Jennifer Johnson, BA English composition, Northwestern University. Reviewed by Steve Silverstein, MD. Published on 5/14/2012.

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Page last updated: May 10, 2012