Pesticide Residues in Man - Pesticides: Evaluation of Environmental Pollution - page 469

increases in crop yields and in the quantity and variety of the diet. Also, they have helped
to limit the spread of certain diseases. Thus, pesticides cannot be totally abolished from
agricultural practice, without causing famine. In a recent report (Whitford et al. 2004), the
following has been mentioned in favor of pesticides
“For decades, discussions among scientists and the public have focused on the real, predicted, and
perceived risks that pesticides pose to people and the environment. Each use of a pesticide poses
some level of risk, so it is not surprising that scientists, the regulated community, government
officials, and the public need a realistic understanding of the risks associated with pesticide use.
We must analyze how risk is assessed, identify the risks, and determine an appropriate level of
concern. There are significant risks associated with leaving certain pests uncontrolled; and, in
some cases, pesticides are the only viable alternative. Properly used, pesticides provide benefits
essential to our way of life. Uncontrolled pests can cause serious consequences:
• A person bitten by mosquitoes carrying West Nile virus may die.
• A child stung by bees, wasps, or ants may suffer a severe allergic reaction.
• A dog infested with fleas may become stressed to the point of illness.
• A farmer's diseased tomatoes may be declined by the cannery.
• A load of wheat contaminated with wild garlic may be rejected by the mill.
• A homeowner may have to spend thousands of dollars to repair structural damage
caused by termites.”
Despite the benefits of pesticide usages, they can cause injury to human health as well
as the environment. The range of these adverse health effects includes acute and persistent
injury to the nervous system, lung damage, injury to the reproductive organs, and dys-
function of the immune and endocrine systems, birth defects, and cancer (Mansour 2004).
The pesticides are detrimental to people's health and environment. It is reported that
approximately 3 million people are poisoned and 200,000 die each year around the world
from pesticide poisoning, with a majority of them belonging to the developing countries
(FAO 2000). It is also believed that in developing countries, the incidence of pesticide poi-
soning may even be greater than that reported due to underreporting, lack of data, and
misdiagnosis. The dilemma is because of those pesticides, which developed countries
have banned due to their toxic effects, but are still being used in the developing countries
(Wilson and Tisdell 2001).
In this chapter, we discuss “pesticide residues in man.” In other words, we are going to
talk about “source and sink”; we consider that man is the cause for hosting pesticide resi-
dues in his body. In this context, we will try to demonstrate the sources and magnitudes
of pesticide residues in the environment and human body; pesticide residues with respect
to human sociodemographic characteristics; hazards of occupational exposure with refer-
ence to epidemiological data of poisoning disasters; toxic hazards (in general) of pesticide
exposure and factors influencing persistence, accumulation, and fate of pesticide residues;
ways to remove or minimize pesticidal residues; and, if possible, the future outlook and
the needs to magnify pesticide benefits and limit their hazards.
15.2 Environmental Dynamics of Pesticides
Pesticides move through air, soil, and water and find their way into the living tissues
where they can bioaccumulate through the food chain, eventually to enter the human diet.