Pesticides: The good, the bad and the ugly

While there are organic options, chemical pesticides are commonly used, with industrial agriculture relying heavily on it for their crops.

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However, as many studies and literature over the decades have shown, using these chemicals comes at enormous costs to the environment, wildlife and human health. But before we get into all the details and solutions, here are some facts.

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”Pesticide” is the umbrella term that encompasses herbicides, insecticides, nematicides, molluscicides, piscicides, avicides, rodenticides, bactericides, insect repellents, animal repellents, microbicides, fungicides and lampricides.

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Global consumption of pesticides grew 57% from 1990 to 2020, with the amount of usage reaching 2.66 million metric tons in 2020.

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When it comes to which country uses the most pesticides, China is number one with 1.7 million tons, with the U.S. following in second with 407,000 tons.

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Farmworkers in the U.S. are faced with the most chemical-related illnesses of any occupation. 10,000 to 20,000 suffer from pesticide poisoning each year.

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