Learning Biology

Pesticides are substances that are used to exterminate pests. Pesticides can be chemicals, disinfectants, or any other substance used to eliminate the presence of pests, such as insects, molds, fungi, bacteria, rodents, or weeds. Pesticides are a common form of the removal of pests in food. This is a safe practice because it decreases the chance of humans getting sick from diseases caused by pests. However, using pesticides in food is also dangerous because ,if used incorrectly, the chemicals can be very dangerous to humans.
<ref>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pesticide</ref>
The good side of using pesticides is that they can remove many pests that may be harmful to humans. When used appropriately, pesticides can be very helpful in the removal of pests from foods. The government and the EPA regulate the amount of pesticides that can be put into certain foods. If this safety practice is followed, no harm should come to any one who consumes the food. The EPA also annually checks different pesticides to make sure they are still safe for human consumption and that the correct amounts are still being used.
<ref>http://www.epa.gov/opp00001/food/viewtols.htm</ref>
However, even when used safely, pesticides can still be dangerous to the health of humans. Pesticides are sometimes thought of as a bad choice to remove dangerous pests from foods because the harsh chemicals can cause medical problems in people. Pesticides can leave behind dangerous substances in the food if too much is used or the wrong ones are used. The chemicals in the pesticides can also take away or harm the healthful affects of the foods being eaten. Nutrients may be lost in the process of using pesticides.
<ref>http://environment.about.com/b/2005/12/18/dangerous-pesticides-found-in-all-oranges-tested.htm</ref>
My thoughts on using pesticides to remove harmful pests from foods, is that it is a good idea. Yes, the chemicals can be harmful but it is rare when safety practices are used in the process. With the EPA and the government checking regularly on which pesticides are safe to use in foods being consumed by humans, health problems will not often occur. The risk when using pesticides is worth taking because if not then the risk of getting diseases from unprotected foods becomes a problem. That is why I think it is best if pesticides are used in foods.

Have you ever thought about what you are putting in your mouth when you eat food? Pestisides are put on plants to protect them from insects, weeds, mold, and rodents. Although they are meant to be good, they are not. They can cause health problems when to much is exposed. Infants are more vulnerable because they still have organs that are growing inside of them. Also infants and children eat and drink more than adults do. Because of this the EPA sets standards of how much of the pestisides are permitted to be put on plants. http://www.pueblo.gsa.gov/cic_text/food/pesticides-andfood/food.html

The good thing about this is that it is good for the environment. It is good also because it does kill the bugs that eat the plants. I know myself that if were to bite into something with a bug in it, I wouldn’t be to happy. In fact, I probably wouldn’t buy from the consumer anymore. That brings up another pro, it is good for farmers. People don’t realize what they are eating, and if they don’t know the more convinced they are to eat it. http://altmed.creighton.edu/OrganicFood/perceived_pros_and_cons.htm

The cons to this is that pestisides are poisons. Like i said in the first paragraph, they can cause health problems for infants and children. They can kill or harm things that the user is not wanting targetting. Pestisides that are put in the ground can be washed into streams or any source of water that is used. For example, it can kill fish in the streams and contaminate the water so when people drink the water they can get sick. http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_are_the_advantages_and_disadvantages_of_pesticides

In my personal opinion i think that they are bad. Maybe someone could come up with a new idea for killing pests. They are horrible for peoples health and for the person using them. They can cause infants to have bad health problems. It is also responsible for the polution in waters. Even though it is meant to be a good thing, I really don’t think that it is. Just remember to wash your fruits and vegi’s that you buy at the store.

Chelsea Shaffer pd1
What are hormones? Hormones are naturally occuring chemicals that are produced in the bodies of all animals, and humans. They are chemical messages released into the blood by hormone-producing organs that travel to and affect different parts of the body. They control important body functions such as growth, development and reproduction. Hormones can be steroids or proteins. Steroid hormones are active in the body when eating. For example, birth control pills are steroid hormones. On the other hand, protein hormones are broken down in the stomach, then lose their ability to act in the body when eaten. Therefore, protein hormones need to be injected into the body to have an effect. For example, insulin is a protein hormone. Diabetics need to be injected with insulin. Now when hormones are used in food there are some pros to the issue <ref>http://envirocancer.cornell.edu/Factsheet/Diet/fs37.hormones.cfm<ref/> they can make small young animals gain weight faster, and help reduce the waiting time and the amount of feed eaten by an animal before slaughter in meat industries. Hormones that include three which are naturally occurring—Oestradiol, Progesterone and Testosterone—and three which are synthetic—Zeranol, Trenbolone, and Melengestrol. Hormones can be used in dairy cows to increase milk production. Hormones can can then increase the profits made by the meat and dairy industries. <ref>http://www.sustainabletable.org/issues/hormones/<ref/> On the other hand the cons of the hormone enhanced animals and what we don’t realize is what these hormones do to us. There is a concern that because of increased milking in cows, hormone-treated cows may become more prone to infection of the udders. This could lead to more antibiotics being used to treat the cows, in turn leading to more of antibiotics to remain in the milk. Over a long period of time the bacteria in your stomach that help with digestion are exsposed to the antibiotics and become immune to it. Which will cause the bactiria to not react when you take antibiotics when you are sick and will make you get healthy slower. Yet another concern is the cows manure. The hormones are also passed through the cow when it excretes its wastes, then the farms will use the manure to fertilize the fileds of their crops, then the cosumer gets even more of the growth hormones from eatting the crops that are grown with hormone contaminated manure. Children, pregnant women and the unborn are thought to be most at risk to the negative health effects. Hormone residues in beef have been the cause of early puberty in girls, which could put them at greater risk of developing breast and other forms of cancer.

In conclusion I belive that hormones should not be givin to animals, the only people that the hormones give an advantage to are the farmers because they make the animals grow bigger quicker, and get to the slaughter house faster so they eat less food so the farmer can spend less money. In the long run all it does for us is put us at risk for major health problems like breast cancer, and immunity in our bodies to antibiotics and make us more prone to infecctions. So as you can see growth hormones should not be used in animals for it can harm people over a long period of ingesting them. A few ways to avoid eatting to many of these growth hormones are to eat a varied diet rich in fruits, grains and vegatables, eat meats in moderation well cooked, and eat more lean muscle meat rather than fat.

Other site references
<ref>http://www.fda.gov/cvm/hormones.htm<ref/>
<ref>http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/comments/display?contentID=AR2006111300824<ref/>

Over 14,000 Chemicals are added to the American food supply. Human bodies were not meant to be exposed to the chemicals in food additives. Additives can also be categorized as preservatives. Salt, sugar and vinegar were among the first used to preserve food. Most food additives are considered safe. However, some are known to be carcinogenic or toxic. Hyperactivity in children, allergies, asthma, and migranes are often associated with reactions to food additives.

Acesulfame K is an additive used as a sugar substitute. Some testing has shown that this additve can cause cancer in animals, which therefore, may increase cancer in humans. Artificial colorings, which are synthetic dyes used in foods are also suspected of being toxic or carcinogens. Another additive, potassium bromate, is used to increase the volume of bread and to produce bread with a fine crumb structure.  Bromate itself causes cancer in animals and has been banned almost worldwide. Sulfites, another additive, are a class of chemicals that can keep cut fruits and vegetables looking fresh. Six scientific studies have been found proving that sulfites could provoke sometimes severe allergic reactions. CSPI and the Food and Drug Administration identified at least a dozen fatalities linked to sulfites. All of the deaths occurred among asthmatics.

In conclusion I believe that the use of additives is a complicated subject. In the case of additives that are harmful to humans and animals, I believe that they should be banned until there is a non harmful way to use them. In the case of food additives that have no solid proof of being harmful or have had studies proving such, I believe that they shouldn’t be banned and should continue to be used by Americans in the food making and preserving process.

http://www.cspinet.org/reports/chemcuisine.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Food_additive

http://www.foodsafety.gov/~lrd/foodaddi.html

Tyler Skerkavich

There are many good and bad things about pesticides. It is a chemical used by farmers or producers, used to control pests. They could range from anywhere from fungi, insects, plant diseases, and different weeds. I will be explaining to you about how pesticides are good and bad at times. I will also tell you how I think about them.

Though pesticides have some good in them, they also have bad. Pesticides accumulate in the fat deposits in the body where they remain and cause damage. Children are e more likely to suffer negative effects from pesticide exposure than adults because of their lower body weight, their less developed immune and detoxification systems, and the fact that they’re still growing. In and around homes, children and adults spend a lot of time around the lawn and on the floor, where pesticide residues are often found. It is said that even in households identified as “low use homes” have at least 5 pesticides. Pesticides can remain on food even after you wash or clean them off. When people come across pesticides they can cause cancer, brain tumors, and even if the mother of an un-born child comes across them, the child could have birth defects. Pesticides can effect the air, water, and grass from people spraying them. http://www.purezing.com/living/toxins/living_toxins_dangerouspesticides.html

Now to the good side of pesticides. Pesticides can help to control pests. When they manage and destroy the pests, the amount of crops will go up and the prices will go down. And if we didn’t use them there would not be as much food. When farmers use pesticides, they don’t always have to “hand do” everything because of the pesticides killing all of the bad things on crops and plants on their farm and fields. They protect plants against molds, fungi, and insects. The word pesticides means to control substances. The use of it can also help prevent crop loss and some human diseases. http://www.cirad.fr/fr/web_savoir/colloques/cacao06/R.Bateman.pdf

In my opinion, I think that the use of pesticides are very bad. I know that it helps the crops grow and lowers the prices when they are high, but the fact the they could cause brain damage, cancer, brain tumors, or even birth defects to children just makes me think that we should not be using them. Yes it’s easier to use them, but you also have to think about the negative effects on humans. I think farmers will have to do things manualy to  make the crops and fruit better but it is worth it in the end.

http://www.grinningplanet.com/2004/07-01/children-effects-of-pesticides-article.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pesticide

http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/

http://www.criticalopinion.org/articles/120

Pesticides

A pesticide is any chemical, which is used by producers or homeowners to control pests. The pests may be insects, plant diseases, fungi, weeds, nematodes, snails, slugs, etc. Therefore, insecticides, fungicides, herbicides, and 22 others are used for very specific or very general problems. Some pesticides must only contact (touch) the pest to be deadly. Others must be ingested (swallowed or breathed) to be effective. This essay will go over a few of the many Pro’s and Con’s about pesticides.
http://www.epa.gov/aging/resources/factsheets/echp/index.htm
http://npic.orst.edu/
http://www.alanwood.net/pesticides/class_pesticides.html
http://www.epa.gov/

Some of the reasons why pesticides are good have been listed below. Pesticides kill herbicides, insecticides, fungicides, avicides, harmful food parasites, and rodenticides that can harm a human’s health. Herbicides can be applied to a larger acreage and last for weeks which cut back on cultivation time and effort. This cut back on time helps the producer produce more food and help the economy. Pesticides are used and followed strictly by the guide lines provided by the EPA. The EPA leads the nation’s environmental science, research, education and assessment efforts. The mission of the Environmental Protection Agency is to protect human health and the environment. The EPA, to make sure they are as safe as possible, evaluates all pesticides used by small and large producers. Pesticides have a 98% guarantee to completely eliminate pests, which make the food safer to eat.
http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/regulating/store.htm
http://npic.orst.edu/factsheets/signalwords.pdf
http://www.alanwood.net/pesticides/class_pesticides.html

The following reasons I am about to state are the reasons why pesticides are bad. Many people feel that the use of pesticides is inhumane. Pesticides can cause many different diseases such as birth defects, nerve damage, brain damage, damage to the sensory organs. Some sorts of pesticides have been known to cause cancer. Also 94% of all pesticides are highly toxic and are deadly to young children. Children are particularly vulnerable to pesticides because their bodies are immature and rapidly growing and their immune system is incapable of handling the toxicity.
http://pmep.cce.cornell.edu/facts-slides-self/core-tutorial/module04/index.html
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/pesticides.html
http://www.epa.gov/oppfead1/Publications/Cit_Guide/citguide.pdf
http://www.pesticideinfo.org/Search_Use.jsp
http://www.epa.gov/

I personally believe that pesticides are an extremely effective way of producing goods safely and effectively. I believe this because even though the food is considered “less organic” it is much safer to eat. For example, you eat an orange that had a pesticide used on it during production, there is a 98% guarantee you will not be biting into a parasite, insect, insect larva, etc. However you eat an orange with no pesticide use on it, there is a 0% guarantee that you will not be biting into a parasite, insect, insect larva, etc. Also people worry that the pesticide will harm them, but the chances of contracting something from a pesticide is slim to none, because all use is guided by the rules of the EPA. Not only does it make the food we eat safer, in a way it helps the economy. In these days now, production in a cheap, quick, safe, and time efficient way is the best way to go about doing things. I believe pesticides do this, once the pesticides are sprayed or laid in the field that is all that needs to be done until the harvest. Once harvested the pesticides are removed and can be sold. This whole process can save huge amounts of crops from being damaged by pests, and this also reduces the man power needed to check the crops for damage which saves money.
http://www.niehs.nih.gov/
http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/2004-146/ch2/ch2-9.asp.htm
http://www.pesticideinfo.org/Search_Use.jsp
http://www.epa.gov/

In summary pesticides can range from repellents, to extermination, all however are approved by the EPA. If they are not approved it is illegal for producers to use them, and all pesticides go under heavy tests with very strict, mandatory guidelines that must be followed. Although pesticides can, and have been known to cause human bodily harm, I believe that the rewards out weigh the risks. Pesticides not only help by making foods safer to eat but also the helps the economy in more ways than one. That is why I believe that pesticide use is better than not having pesticides at all.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pesticide
http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/http://www.epa.gov/opp00001/about/
http://www.pesticideinfo.org/
http://www.epa.gov/

Kendall Neal

Food Additives:  Good or Bad?

Additives are substances that are added to foods to add flavor, improve appearance, or to preserve the food.  Many people oppose these additives and go on organic-only diets.  Organic foods are foods that have not been treated in any way.  People think these chemicals or processes make the food unhealthy.  There are many reasons why these non-organic foods are a problem.
The first main reason why these treated foods are not good it that they are usually treated with toxic chemicals.  Usually, these chemicals are washed off, but there might still be traces of them on the food.  Some additives, such as saccharin, have caused cancer in animals that were tested with it.  Many of these other additives have also caused tumors and severe allergic reactions.  The FDA suggests that you thoroughly clean treated foods before you consume them so any traces of toxic chemicals can be washed off.
Another important reason why additives are bad is that they can actually affect your mood or how you act.  Its has been proven that children who consume more than a normal amount of additives usually have worse temper tantrums and nastier moods than children who eat only organic foods.  Some additives cause headaches and migraines, inability o sleep, and hyperactivity in all age groups.  As you can see, food additives are definitely something to avoid.<ref>http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-453431/The-proof-food-additives-ARE-bad-feared.html<ref>
Along with these disadvantages of food additives, there are also some advantages.  Some preservatives make foods not spoil or rot as fast as untreated foods do.  The flavorings make the foods tastier and some additives make the foods look more appetizing. <ref>http://www.teachnet.ie/tburke/additives.htm<ref> However, these additives add no nutritional value, so why add them?  Make the sacrifice and eat organic foods in exchange for better-looking, longer lasting, and tastier foods. <ref>http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/organic-food/NU00255<ref>
In conclusion, food additives may add flavor and enhance appearance, but they have many negative effects.  They can cause physical problems like allergic reactions and cancer along with mental reactions such as inability to sleep and worsened tempers.  Don’t give up your health for more appealing foods; organic foods are just as good as treated foods.  If you want to learn about which additives to avoid, go to <ref>http://altmedangel.com/additive.htm<ref> or <ref>http://www.cnn.com/FOOD/resources/food.for.thought/additives/table.html.<ref>