Pesticides in Ground Water
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To start out I will tell you a little bit about the topic. What is a pesticide?A pesticide is a chemical substance used to kill pests, especially insects. A pesticide is also referred
to as a biocide. Most pesticides are applied in spray form but occasionaly you will see pesticides that are in powder or pellet form. Pesticides are used on a variety of things, anything from crops like corn, barley, and wheat, to plants like petunias, marigolds, and rhodadendrons, which are usually found in small gardens greenhouses, and even in your backyard.
Now another question. What is ground water? Water is the life blood of every living creature on earth. Approximately 70 percent of the earths surface is covered with water. Through the wonders of nature, water can take on many different forms. It is easy to understand the significance water plays in our lives but it may be difficult to understand the water that exists below the earths surface. This water is called groundwater. Groundwater is usually held in porous soil or rock materials, much the same way water is held in a sponge.
When pesticdes are sprayed on crops, where do the pesticides go after they are applied to the crops? They soak into the ground where the roots can pick up the pesticide.That further proves my point that pesticides soak into the ground.
Pesticides in ground watrer seems to be a continual problem with people now days, because they think that the pesticides dont soak into the ground water. They believe that when a pesticide is sprayed on a plant the leaves are what pick up the pesticide but thats false, the roots pick up the pesticides which proves that the pesticides have to
soak at least a few feet into the ground.
What are the health effects of pesticides in ground water? The health effects of multiple pesticides in ground water are not well known: however, as the effectiveness of pesticides may changewhen mixed together for agricultural use, the effect on humans may change when pesticides are present in combinations. Currently, health criteria are set for individual pesticides. The U.S environmental
protection agency or EPA is considering establishing
health criteria for combinations of pesticides.