A pesticide is any substance intended to destroy, prevent, or repel pests, such as insects, weeds, fungi, and rodents. Pesticides are used widely in the United States in agriculture. Chemical pest control has dramatically contributed to increases in yields for most major vegetable and fruit crops. The use of pesticides over the past 40 years has led to vast improvements in the quantity and variety of the U.S. diet and therefore in the health of the public. However, these benefits do not come without some risks.
Many pesticides are harmful to the environment and are suspected or known to be toxic to humans.
Depending on the dose, pesticides may cause a range of harmful health effects and may accumulate in ecosystems. You can protect your family from pesticides by giving your children a variety of fruits and vegetables , buying organic foods , and by properly preparing foods before consuming them. Some chemicals can harm plants when they grow in contaminated soils and endanger animals and humans who eat these plants. Additionally, we can absorb these chemicals when we eat animals that eat contaminated plants. Foods grown under ground, such as potatoes and carrots, may be more likely to be contaminated by soil pollutants than those grown above ground.