Whenever we hear of Pesticide, we think of one name most commonly, that is DDT.

DDT was one of the first chemicals in widespread use as a pesticide. Following World War II, it was promoted as a wonder-chemical, the simple solution to pest problems large and small. Today, nearly 40 years after DDT was banned in the U.S., we continue to live with its long-lasting effects:

  Food supplies: USDA found DDT breakdown products in 60% of heavy cream samples, 42% of kale greens, 28% of carrots and lower percentages of many other foods.

  Body burden: DDT breakdown products were found in the blood of 99% of the people tested by CDC.

 Health impacts: Girls exposed to DDT before puberty are 5 times more likely to develop breast cancer in middle age, according to the President's Cancer Panel.

Rachel Carson highlighted the dangers of DDT in her groundbreaking 1962 book Silent Spring. Carson used DDT to tell the broader story of the disastrous consequences of the overuse of insecticides, and raised enough concern from her testimony before Congress to trigger the establishment of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

One of the new EPA's first acts was to ban DDT, due to both concerns about harm to the environment and the potential for harm to human health.

Despite worldwide ban on the use of DDT, conservative groups and DDT promoters are promoting the use of DDT for malaria control while attempting to undermine and roll back the environmental movement's legacy.

Do you ever wonder how chemical pesticides affect our lives? They may do more damage than you think, with several potentially harmful effects on the environment, our health and even inside our home. Pesticides have been linked to a myriad of diseases

      breast & other cancers

       male infertility

       miscarriages & low birth weight

     developmental delay

      nervous system & liver damage

 Environmental Effects

 Chemical pesticides are known to pollute the environment. While their intended effects are often short-lived, studies have shown that chemical pesticides linger in the atmosphere, the ground and in our waterways long after the job is over. Chemicals have been used on fields across the world for almost 100 years, creating a buildup of adverse pollution in our environment, which continues to grow with every application.

When farmers across the world began to rely on chemical pesticides, a drastic change in soil health followed. When the health of soil is compromised, the nutritional value of the food it yields is compromised as well.

In UAE new regulations have been passed to prevent the import of pesticides that could harm consumers and the environment.

The Ministry of Climate Change and Environment adopted seven new measures to register and import types of pesticides. They are mandatory for pesticide companies in the UAE and go into effect at the end of the month, reported Aletihad, the Arabic-language sister paper of The National.

Among the new measures is a provision that grants a 180-day grace period for companies selling pesticides after they have been banned.

Organic home-use pesticides are a safer alternative to conventional pesticides but residents have low awareness and confidence in the ?green? verities, pest control experts said.

Their comments came after a series of deaths from pesticide poisoning in UAE homes. The cases involved the illegal use of industrial-grade pesticides in residential units.

Pest control has been in the spotlight last year following the fatalities. Experts said there needs to be more awareness on the green products, adding residents should only appoint government-approved pest control companies.

The municipality emphasizes on using green pesticides. But it takes time to change the perception of the people as they feel that if pesticides do not have strong smell it will not kill the bugs quickly even though it is not so. Green pesticides are just as effective and much safer too. Green pesticides are derived from plants.

Plants uses naturally occurring pesticides as a natural defence against pests. What?s more, pests don?t build up a resistance to green pesticides like they do regarding synthetic pesticides.

Green pesticides have been in the UAE market for a couple of years and it is one of the only leading countries in the world to have them.

http://www.panna.org , newsdesk@thenational.ae,   havahart.com

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