Post-Internet on Glyphosate

Pesticides and their Uses

Pesticides became commonplace in nowaday’s products, especially due to improved technology. They were used to promote crop growth, kill pests, and protect crops from infestation.In your nearest store, Pesticide Safari, you’ll find glyphosate ubiquitous on most retail shelves. The chemical constituents of this pesticide include glyphosate acid, glyphosate ammonium salt, and glyphosate isopropylamine salt (\u201cGlyphosate General Fact Sheet,\u201d 2017). Glyphosate is used in many ways, especially in horticulture and agriculture. Pesticides are used differently in different countries. It is commonly used in agriculture, but is also used to control weed growth in uncultivated areas that are not cultivated such as on verges and railway tracks. Other non-crop uses of the pesticide include weed control in forestry and aquatic environments (\\\“Glyphosate General Fact Sheet\\\”, 2017). The maturation process of crops can also be enhanced using this pesticide. Glyphosate is applied to weeds and other plants through spraying. Spraying it on the leaves on plants prevents weeds from making certain products needed in the growth of plants. It stops the enzyme pathway that in important for plants. Unfortunately, I have never used Glyphosate in killing weeds.

Warnings and Packaging

Reviewing the container in which the pesticide has been packed, it is clear it does not have a warning label. In fact, the most dominant information on the package is the use of the chemical which is killing weeds. In case I did not have a good command of English language, I would not know the use of the chemical. In addition, I would not even be aware that it is a pesticide that is dangerous and poisonous.

Health Effects and Resistance

Despite glyphosate being the most widely used weed, it has greatly affected the health of farmworkers and their families. Those with high exposure of the chemical have been found to have cancers of the lung, stomach, prostrate and brain. They also suffer from high rates of lymphatic and blood cancers, melanoma and other forms of skin cancer. The continued use of the chemical has also seen the increased spread of resistant weeds. As a result, farmers have been forced to increase the rates of application and also spray more often. On the other hand, the use of glyphosate has several benefits. The use of glyphosate for controlling weed has reduced traditional methods of ploughing. The pesticide reduces CO2 emissions, extremely low levels of toxicity, and better yields.

Resistance and the Need for Increased Measures

Glyphosate has over the years performed its function of killing weeds. As a result, its demand has increased over time with more farmers and families using it in a bid to eradicate weeds. However, weed species have become resistant to glyphosate over time (\\\“Glyphosate General Fact Sheet\\\”, 2017). Additionally, the pesticide cannot control all weed species. This has led to more the increased rate of glyphosate application and the use of other pesticides with glyphosate. The knowledge on the benefits and risks of the pesticide are due to animal experiments that have been conducted by different researchers in different destinations of the world. Studies of those with high exposure have also added to the available knowledge on the pesticide. Clearly, the pesticide is quite important in agriculture and more preventive measures should be taken to reduce its harmful effects.

References

Glyphosate General Fact Sheet. (2017). Npic.orst.edu. Retrieved 30 July 2017, from http://npic.orst.edu/factsheets/glyphogen.html