Agrochemicals

Chemicals used in agriculture for the growth of plants and for pest control are called agrochemicals or agrichemicals. While they raise crop yields, their overuse generates residues that cause nutrient imbalance in soil and produces a wide range of harmful downstream effects: they may kill beneficial soil bacteria and other soil organisms; they can cause eutrophication in water bodies when they run off into them; they affect aquatic animals and their productivity; water carrying even trace quantities of pesticide is unfit for human consumption; airborne aerosols and residues of these chemicals cause air pollution, and inhaling contaminated air can cause respiratory problems; consumption can lead to poisoning and both immediate and after-effects; the chemicals can cause skin rashes and eye irritation; many of them are reported to be carcinogenic; and they can trigger hormonal disorders and neurotoxicity. Beneficial insects and animals are affected too, not just pests. Two specific examples illustrate this: mosquito repellents containing DEET (n,n-diethylmetatoluamide) and allethrin, used in mosquito coils, may cause itching, burning, tingling sensation, or numbness in people exposed to them; and colony collap …