If you ask your grandparents what life was like when they were kids, the answer will probably be that things were simpler, slower, less automated, and that people did not move so often. But since your grandparents’ time two major things have happened: (1) the population of the United States has increased greatly, and (2) technology and scientific innovations have come to play a major role in our lives.
Pesticide use has grown because not only must our exploding population be supplied with food, but crops and food are grown for export to other countries. The United States has become the largest producer of food products in the world, partly owing to our use of modern chemicals (pesticides) to control the insects, weeds, and other organisms that attack food crops. But, as with many things in life, there’s a hidden cost to the benefit we get from pesticides. We’ve learned that pesticides can potentially harm the environment and our own health. Water plays an important role here because it is one of the main ways that pesticides are transported from the areas where they are applied to other locations, where they may cause health problems. Read more
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