What you need to know about pesticides
What is a chemical pesticide, and why should I care? Find out how pesticides affect our health and environment.
A pesticide is any substance used to prevent, control, repel, or kill living pests like insects, plants and rodents.
In the United States, 75% of households use pesticides; and the highest levels of these chemicals are measured inside the home.
Some are used inside; others may be tracked in on shoes, waft in on air, or linger in the air when outdoor pesticides are stored inside. Rain can carry pesticides into local streams, harming fish and wildlife.
Exposure to pesticides can cause immediate symptoms including breathing difficulties, vomiting, blurred vision, headaches and dizziness. Repeated exposures to pesticides over time can contribute to asthma, cancer, reproductive harm, birth defects and behavioral problems.
Children are especially vulnerable to such chemicals as they grow. They may be exposed to pesticides by playing on floors, lawns and play areas, eating pesticide-treated foods or by handling treated pets. Household pets are also vulnerable because of their small body size and behavior.
The overuse of chemical pesticides can create pests that are resistant to chemicals, and can kill beneficial insects that pollinate our crops and eat pests.
