The Obligation to Endure

Damage to Society

There are many things in life that people, especially Americans, take for granted. For centuries life has begun to get simpler and simpler for society. Unlike older generations where families would hunt and farm for their food, Americans now depend on larger industrial farms to feed them. This practice is acceptable, but when feeding an entire country, farmers have to find a way to protect and successfully mass produce their crops, so they use pesticides. Pesticides benefit farmland, but potentially harm their surroundings such as humans and wildlife. There are many side effects of pesticides and occasionally they can be fatal.

As pesticides become more common, they are posing greater threats to humanity. The most common ways people may become exposed to pesticides is by breathing contaminated air, ingesting contaminated food or drinks, and dermal exposure to the substance. Dermal exposure is most common, causing the victim to have irritated, burning skin. Occasionally, in more serious cases, the pesticide is absorbed by the skin causing even more health effects. Debatably the most sever pesticide is categorized as organophosphates, or carbamates. This category includes parathion, malathion, thimet, and trichlorphone. These deadly pesticides are known for entering into and attacking the nervous system of any living creature and causing the victim major health problems. Chlorinated hydrocarbons, or organochlorines, is the calmer pesticide that contain less toxin and commonly irritates the skin, or eyes, resembling an allergic reaction. On the other hand, these particular pesticides should not be disregarded and viewed as relatively harmless. Many pesticides grow in intensity, the longer a patient is infected the greater amount of damage will be done. Ones vulnerability to the pesticide will also determine the intensity of the infection. Age, gender, and skin sensitivity heighten an individual’s chance of becoming infected. Children are actually...