The Pesticide Controversy

From the earliest days, mankind has had to compete with insects for its food supply. In addition, many insects propagated diseases such as malaria, or the bubonic plague which have killed millions of people throughout history. Thus, when modern insecticides were introduced in the early 1940s, they had a tremendous impact both on the world food supply and the general health of people. For instance, in the last forty years, we have seen food production more than double and the near complete eradication of diseases such as malaria. There are now about 35,000 different registered pesticides in North America. As long ago as 1980, in Canada alone, close to $400 million were spent to spray 75 million pounds of insecticides. As it is, even with the use of pesticides, it is assumed that 1/3 of the North American food crops are lost to insects with a total cost of $10 15 billion. On the one hand, over the last twenty years, more and more people have become concerned about some of the negative effects of pesticides on the environment and the effects of pesticide residues in our food. On the other hand, farmers take special pride in having a low insect-parts-to-grain ratio in their crop and in not having an insect infestation ruin the produce. This is a concern echoed in commercial sales. The irony is that the public, while interested in eliminating pesticides from the food supply, is not willing to buy wormy apples. Thus, the question should not be whether pesticides should be allowed or banned, but whether their benefits are worth the risk involved in their use, particularly if there are safe and effective alternatives available.