| |
|
Toxicity of Pesticides discusses how pesticide risk is assessed. It lists the ten most hazardous pesticides. It also includes several text references and a link to the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) site on pesticides. Insecticide Resistance is a partly developed site concerned with the problem of insects developing resistance to insecticides. It currently has a section on B.t., Bacillus thuringiensis. Organic Farming defines organic farming and gives several links to sites that go into more depth. Ultimately this web page will develop into a site that addresses questions like the following: 1. Is the Silent Spring scenario still a real possibility in our future? Did Rachel Carson merely get the time-frame wrong? What are the relative risks of the five most commonly used pesticides today compared to the five most commonly used ones when Carson wrote Silent Spring? Compare the LD50's, the side effects, and the total amount used. 2. Are there good statistics indicating which pesticides are most likely to harm us? Child poisonings are presumably much more common from back-yard use of pesticides than from agribusiness uses, but is that true? Do stats exist? 3. In Arizona, what has happened with pesticide use over the last 20 years? Is the use-pattern safer for the environment NOW or 20 years ago? 4. What changes could be made in pesticide use NOW that would not cause financial harm to stakeholders? Some suggestions include changing crop-seeding patterns, harvesting patterns, or changing pesticides used. Any might reduce the need for as much pesticide use and not cost. Pesticide use and meat/dairy consumption 5. What proportion of croplands grows non-human foodstock (foodstock for cows, pigs, cattle, chickens, etc.? Is pesticide use on this land comparable to general cropland use? If so, what proportion of pesticide use is correlated to our meat-consuming habits? Pesticide use and pretty yards and bug-free homes 6. What proportion of pesticides are used for urban, non-commercial, use? What proportion of that for outdoor use: our front and back yards, parks, etc.? What proportion is to keep the insides of our homes free of what we call pests? |
|
The University of Arizona Last update July 15, 2001 schmidtz@u.arizona.edu willott@u.arizona.edu "http://research.biology.arizona.edu/mosquito/willott/323/project/pesticides/pesticides.html" All contents copyright © 1998-2001. All rights reserved. |