Emerging Agricultural Contaminants

**57**

**Chapter 4**

*Riaz Shah*

**Abstract**

ment should be encouraged.

**1. Introduction**

pest organism.

Pesticides and Human Health

Pesticides are used in managing pests and their use will continue in future because of food security and vector control. Most pesticides are potentially toxic to human beings resulting in severe health consequences. There is also evidence that parental exposure, as well as, exposure in early life or adolescence could increase the longer-term risks. Pesticide exposures have been linked to many human diseases such as Alzheimer, Parkinson, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, asthma, bronchitis, infertility, birth defects, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, autism, diabetes, and obesity, respiratory diseases, organ diseases and system failures. People who are exposed to pesticides are at a greater risk to develop various cancers including non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), leukemia, brain tumors, and cancers of the breast, prostate, lung, stomach, colorectal, liver, and the urinary bladder. The cell culture is an excellent experimental model reflecting human exposure to pesticides at a molecular level which is necessary to understand the hazards. Pesticide users should be aware of their risks and proper handling, as well as must use personal protective equipment which is effective in reducing damage to human health. Carcinogenic pesticides must be eliminated and sustainable and new approaches in pest manage-

**Keywords:** pesticides, cancer, endocrine disruption, pesticide residues, toxicity

A pesticide is any substance which is used to prevent, destroy or repel any pest from causing any damage. The term pest represents any living organism that may cause harm to human in respect to food competition, destruction of property and spread of disease. Pests include insects, rodents, microbes, fungi and weeds (unwanted plants), etc. of agricultural, medical and veterinary importance, and therefore, a pesticide can be an insecticide, an insect and plant growth regulator, a fungicide, an herbicide, a molluscicide, and an algaecide, etc. based on the target

The major site of action for most pesticides are the nervous and endocrine systems and, therefore, are also potentially toxic to human with serious direct or indirect adverse health effects. Human beings are exposed to pesticides directly or indirectly. Direct exposure occurs during pesticide application process in agriculture, public health and livestock, and fumigation while indirect exposure involves ingestion of contaminated food and water, and inhalation of pesticides droplets from the drift. Children are more susceptible to pesticides than adults due to their physical makeup, behavior and physiology, and exposure to very low levels at early developmental stages can cause adverse health effects. Codex Alimentarius
