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Pesticides

A pesticide is any substance used to kill, repel, or control certain forms of plant or animal life that are considered to be pests. Pesticides include herbicides for destroying weeds and other unwanted vegetation, insecticides for controlling a wide variety of insects, fungicides used to prevent the growth of molds and mildew, disinfectants for preventing the spread of bacteria, and compounds used to control mice and rats (1).

The use of pesticides dates back to the Roman Empire when salt and sulfur were used to eliminate weeds. But mass industrial use started during World War II,when the use of organochlorine, such as DDT, began. Over the years it has been discovered that these substances are highly poisonous, persistent in the environment and accumulate in fatty tissues both humans and animals (2). Many of these chemicals are now banned and have been replaced by substances such as organophosphates. We are still learning about the health effects of organophosphates, and recent research is showing that they can be harmful, even when ingested in small doses such as residues on food.

The health effects of pesticide exposure vary from one pesticide to another. Organophosphates and carbamates, for example, affect the nervous system. Others may irritate the skin or eyes. Some are carcinogens, while others may affect the hormone or endocrine system in the body (3). Exposure to pesticides may occur in several different ways – breathing sprayed pesticides, eating food or drinking water contaminated by pesticides, or through skin or eye contact. Suspected chronic effects resulting from exposure to certain pesticides include birth defects, fetal toxicity, production of benign or malignant tumors, genetic changes, blood disorders, nerve disorders, endocrine disruption, and reproductive effects (4). An ongoing study of pesticide exposure in farm families shows that farmers who used agricultural insecticides experienced an increase in headaches, fatigue, insomnia, dizziness, hand tremors, and other neurological symptoms. (1)

Toxicological research (mostly from animal studies) and observational epidemiological studies support the idea that chronic organophosphate exposure can produce neurodevelopmental deficits (5). In addition, there is emerging evidence of adverse neurodevelopmental effects in infants and toddlers who received high level of exposure in utero. Altered neonatal reflexes, inattention and Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD) have all been observed. Recent studies in U.S. populations have linked high levels of chronic exposure to organophosphate insecticides in utero with reduced birth weight, head circumference, and gestational length in infants. These studies have been conducted in both agricultural and inner-city environments, suggesting that in both rural and urban settings there may be potentially dangerous pesticide exposures (5).

Because of the widespread use of agricultural chemicals in food production, people are exposed to low levels of pesticide residues through their diets. Scientists do not yet have a clear understanding of the health effects of these pesticide residues. Evidence suggests that babies and young children are particularly susceptible to adverse effects from exposure to pesticides. In addition, they are at risk of higher exposure due to hand to mouth contact and crawling on sprayed surfaces (such as floors and grass). People may also be exposed to pesticides used in a variety of settings including homes, schools, hospitals, and workplaces. (1)

Learn more:
National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences on Pesticides:
http://www.niehs.nih.gov/health/topics/agents/pesticides/index.cfm
Environmental Protection Agency on Pesticides:
http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/about/index.htm

Pesticides in Israel

There are very few up-to-date data regarding the use of pesticides in either the agricultural or domestic sectors in Israel. Moreover, there is a lack of information regarding the exposure of Israeli population to pesticides around the house and in educational institutions. These may include lice shampoos, pest control treatments, and other chemicals used indoors and in gardens.

There is also very little information about pesticide residues in or on food. Although these kinds of data are being collected regularly in Israel, the information is not being published in an orderly manner. EHF has funded several studies in the last few years that are examining the influence of pesticides on health.

The following studies provide some information on pesticides in Israel.

Israel is an international center of intensive chemical agriculture. According to a survey conducted in 1998, every dunam of land used for agricultural purposes in Israel absorbs, on average, 0.72 kilos of toxic substances per year. This amounts to an average of 8,300 tons of pesticides used each year for agricultural purposes. The Central Bureau of Statistics in Israel recently launched a survey which will update the information obtained in 1998.
The most dangerous pesticides used in Israel are the herbicide Magnesium Chlorate and the insecticides Parathion, Chlorpyrifos and Endosulfan (7).
Due to their proximity to agriculture crops, Israel's water reservoirs are also in danger of pesticide contamination. Surveys have shown a rise in nitrate concentration in the water, alongside traces of herbicides such as atrazine and simazine. During EHF's conference "Reproductive Health and Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals" (2009), it was made clear that atrazine is present in the drinking water of the greater Tel-Aviv area (Gush-Dan) in levels exceeding the European standard (8).
In 2007, the Ministry of Environmental Protection banned domestic use of chlorpyrifos and diazinon (9). Chlorpyrifos and diazinon were also restricted in Israel for veterinary use (collars for example) and in agriculture use on gardens and public parks. Chlorpyrifos is used to repel a wide variety of insects, including mosquitoes, lice, and ants. Diazinon repels leaf eating insects on different kinds of crops, such as rice, fruit trees, sugar canes, corn and potatoes (10).
The Interministerial Committee for the Registration of Pesticides recently decided to phase out the use of atrazine and simazine in Israel. Chlorpyrifos and diazinon were also restricted in Israel for veterinary use (flea & tick collars for example) and in gardens and public parks.
Some small-scale surveys show very low levels of awareness of the dangers of using pesticides among high risk populations, such as pregnant women (6). In addition, governmental officials in charge of authorizing the pesticides used around the home are worried that consumers do not read the instructions on the labels of the various products.

It is also important to note that there are intergovernmental agency committees that register pesticides based on their toxicological, ecotoxicological and environmental fate properties.

References

1) “Pesticides.” National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. National Institutes of Health. 2011. http://www.niehs.nih.gov/health/topics/agents/pesticides/index.cfm
2) Delaplane KS. “Pesticide Usage in the United States: History, Benefits, Risks, and Trends.” Cooperative Extension Service. The University of Georgia. Athens, Georgia. 2006. http://entweb.clemson.edu/pesticid/program/SRPIAP/pestuse.pdf
3) “Pesticides: Health and Safety – Human Health Issues.” Environmental Protection Agency. 2011. http://www.epa.gov/opp00001/health/human.htm
4) Lorenz ES. “Pesticide Safety Fact Sheet: Potential Health Effects of Pesticides.” Pennsylvania State University. 2009. http://pubs.cas.psu.edu/FreePubs/pdfs/uo198.pdf
5) http://depts.washington.edu/opchild/chronic.html
6) Organophosphate Pesticides & Child Health: A Primer for Health Care Providers. Chronic Health Implications.” Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Unity. Department of Environmental &Occupational Health Sciences. University of Washington. 2007. http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/reprint/peds.2009-3058v1
7) “Use of pesticides in Israel - 1998, Final Report, Migal” Galilee Technology Center. 2010.
8) Ovadia L. "Regulated and non-regulated microcontaminants in drinking water and wastewater in Israel." EHF annual conference. 2009.
9) www.sviva.gov.il/Enviroment/bin/en.jsp?enPage=BlankPage&enDisplay=view&enDispWhat=Object&enDispWho=Articals^l4499&enZone=shumush_hadbara
10) “Diazinon.” Extension Toxicology Network. Cornell University. 1993. http://pmep.cce.cornell.edu/profiles/extoxnet/carbaryl-dicrotophos/diazinon-ext.html

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