New research has shocked the nation with the focus now back on pesticides. The question we’re faced with now is one of do pesticides affect the human body to the point where they limit and reduce female fertility? If so this could totally change the way farmers will have to treat and preserve produce. Pesticides are necessary to help protect our food from fungi, mold, insects and noxious weeds. They are a group of pest-killing substances that we deem essential to our health, especially as they also deter rodents and many other disease and germ carrying animals.
Pesticides are needed to prevent the unnecessary loss of crops and they work against the possibility of contracting and spreading human diseases. The EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) estimate that there are more than 865 pesticides currently in use. With this in mind, if the research is accurate this could be detrimental to the health of women not only in the EU but all around the world. Humans can come into direct exposure to pesticides a number of different ways, they can be through foods that are digested or in the workplace, home or garden. Because they are such a normality to us, means that this news could be all that more devastating.
Research Into The Effect Of Pesticides
The study into the effect of pesticides was carried out by 325 women between the ages of 18 and 45 years old who were at the time, undergoing infertility treatment. The women who participated were all asked to fill out a diet assessment and had a general health check. This research concluded that women who were eating 2.3 servings of pesticide treated fruits and vegetables has a lower probability (26% lower) of getting pregnant. We all know that fruits and vegetables are vital in ensuring a healthy balanced diet, so what happens when this suddenly becomes an unexpected danger? When we think about pregnant women we correlate it with trying to optimise foods and be as healthy as possible. But, have we been putting our children at more risk all along? We digress. There has already been serious concern over pesticides being linked to acute and chronic health concerns affecting humans.
What The Experts Say
A research fellow by the name of Dr. Yu-Han Chiu quotes, “People are exposed to pesticides daily by consuming conventionally grown fruits and vegetables”. He goes on to explain “There have been concerns for some time that exposure to low doses of pesticides through diet, such as those that we observed in this study, may have adverse health effects, especially in susceptible populations such as pregnant women and their fetus, and on children, our study provides evidence that this concern is not unwarranted.”. There has been few criticisms to this data with JAnet Collins a representative for CropLife International saying that this study should be taken with a pinch of salt and that we shouldn’t jump to any rash conclusions.
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