Chemical Pesticides and Human Health: The Urgent Need for a New Concept in Agriculture

Overview

Journal Front Public Health

Specialty Public Health

Date 2016 Aug 4

PMID 27486573

Citations 291

Authors

Polyxeni Nicolopoulou-Stamati

Sotirios Maipas

Chrysanthi Kotampasi

Panagiotis Stamatis

Luc Hens

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

The industrialization of the agricultural sector has increased the chemical burden on natural ecosystems. Pesticides are agrochemicals used in agricultural lands, public health programs, and urban green areas in order to protect plants and humans from various diseases. However, due to their known ability to cause a large number of negative health and environmental effects, their side effects can be an important environmental health risk factor. The urgent need for a more sustainable and ecological approach has produced many innovative ideas, among them agriculture reforms and food production implementing sustainable practice evolving to food sovereignty. It is more obvious than ever that the society needs the implementation of a new agricultural concept regarding food production, which is safer for man and the environment, and to this end, steps such as the declaration of Nyéléni have been taken.

Citing Articles

Simultaneous Determination of Six Acidic Pesticides, Including 2,4-DB and 2,4,5-T with No Established MRL in Korea Using LC-MS/MS and QuEChERS for the Safety of Imported Agricultural Products.

Oh J, Kim J, An G, Chang H Foods. 2025; 14(5).

PMID: 40077607 PMC: 11898764. DOI: 10.3390/foods14050904.

The Potential for Trypsin Inhibitor Expression in Leaves to Convey Herbivory Deterrence in Soybean.

Birdwell A, Brown S, DAngelo G, Mazarei M, Stewart Jr C Plants (Basel). 2025; 14(4).

PMID: 40006876 PMC: 11859389. DOI: 10.3390/plants14040617.

Exposure to Acute Concentration of Malathion Induced Behavioral, Hematological, and Biochemical Toxicities in the Brain of .

Ullah S, Ahmad S, Ashraf M, Bilal M, Iqbal T, Azzam M Life (Basel). 2025; 15(2).

PMID: 40003567 PMC: 11856734. DOI: 10.3390/life15020158.

Geoclimatic modeling and assessment of pesticide dynamics in Indian soil.

Chakraborty K, Ebihara A Sci Rep. 2025; 15(1):6665.

PMID: 39994362 PMC: 11850611. DOI: 10.1038/s41598-025-90849-9.

DNA methylation in the association between pesticide exposures and type 2 diabetes.

Zheng G, Fang Z, Zhou B, Zuo L, Chen X, Liu M World J Diabetes. 2025; 16(2):99200.

PMID: 39959275 PMC: 11718482. DOI: 10.4239/wjd.v16.i2.99200.

References

Porter W, Jaeger J, CARLSON I . Endocrine, immune, and behavioral effects of aldicarb (carbamate), atrazine (triazine) and nitrate (fertilizer) mixtures at groundwater concentrations. Toxicol Ind Health. 1999; 15(1-2):133-50. DOI: 10.1177/074823379901500111. View

Eskenazi B, Bradman A, Castorina R . Exposures of children to organophosphate pesticides and their potential adverse health effects. Environ Health Perspect. 1999; 107 Suppl 3:409-19. PMC: 1566222. DOI: 10.1289/ehp.99107s3409. View

Kniewald J, Jakominic M, Tomljenovic A, Simic B, Romac P, Vranesic D . Disorders of male rat reproductive tract under the influence of atrazine. J Appl Toxicol. 2000; 20(1):61-8. View

Hemingway J, Ranson H . Insecticide resistance in insect vectors of human disease. Annu Rev Entomol. 2000; 45:371-91. DOI: 10.1146/annurev.ento.45.1.371. View

Cabras P, Angioni A . Pesticide residues in grapes, wine, and their processing products. J Agric Food Chem. 2000; 48(4):967-73. DOI: 10.1021/jf990727a. View

Williams G, Kroes R, Munro I . Safety evaluation and risk assessment of the herbicide Roundup and its active ingredient, glyphosate, for humans. Regul Toxicol Pharmacol. 2000; 31(2 Pt 1):117-65. DOI: 10.1006/rtph.1999.1371. View

Moore A, Waring C . The effects of a synthetic pyrethroid pesticide on some aspects of reproduction in Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.). Aquat Toxicol. 2001; 52(1):1-12. DOI: 10.1016/s0166-445x(00)00133-8. View

Zheng T, Zahm S, Cantor K, Weisenburger D, Zhang Y, Blair A . Agricultural exposure to carbamate pesticides and risk of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. J Occup Environ Med. 2001; 43(7):641-9. DOI: 10.1097/00043764-200107000-00012. View

Waddell B, Zahm S, Baris D, Weisenburger D, Holmes F, Burmeister L . Agricultural use of organophosphate pesticides and the risk of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma among male farmers (United States). Cancer Causes Control. 2001; 12(6):509-17. DOI: 10.1023/a:1011293208949. View

10.

Turusov V, Rakitsky V, Tomatis L . Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT): ubiquity, persistence, and risks. Environ Health Perspect. 2002; 110(2):125-8. PMC: 1240724. DOI: 10.1289/ehp.02110125. View

11.

Wesseling C, Keifer M, Ahlbom A, McConnell R, Moon J, Rosenstock L . Long-term neurobehavioral effects of mild poisonings with organophosphate and n-methyl carbamate pesticides among banana workers. Int J Occup Environ Health. 2002; 8(1):27-34. DOI: 10.1179/oeh.2002.8.1.27. View

12.

Calle E, Frumkin H, Henley S, Savitz D, Thun M . Organochlorines and breast cancer risk. CA Cancer J Clin. 2002; 52(5):301-9. DOI: 10.3322/canjclin.52.5.301. View

13.

Garcia A . Pesticide exposure and women's health. Am J Ind Med. 2003; 44(6):584-94. DOI: 10.1002/ajim.10256. View

14.

Jaga K, Dharmani C . Sources of exposure to and public health implications of organophosphate pesticides. Rev Panam Salud Publica. 2003; 14(3):171-85. DOI: 10.1590/s1020-49892003000800004. View

15.

Kolaczinski J, Curtis C . Chronic illness as a result of low-level exposure to synthetic pyrethroid insecticides: a review of the debate. Food Chem Toxicol. 2004; 42(5):697-706. DOI: 10.1016/j.fct.2003.12.008. View

16.

Lemaire G, Terouanne B, Mauvais P, Michel S, Rahmani R . Effect of organochlorine pesticides on human androgen receptor activation in vitro. Toxicol Appl Pharmacol. 2004; 196(2):235-46. DOI: 10.1016/j.taap.2003.12.011. View

17.

Eskenazi B, Harley K, Bradman A, Weltzien E, Jewell N, Barr D . Association of in utero organophosphate pesticide exposure and fetal growth and length of gestation in an agricultural population. Environ Health Perspect. 2004; 112(10):1116-24. PMC: 1247387. DOI: 10.1289/ehp.6789. View

18.

Shafer T, Meyer D, Crofton K . Developmental neurotoxicity of pyrethroid insecticides: critical review and future research needs. Environ Health Perspect. 2005; 113(2):123-36. PMC: 1277854. DOI: 10.1289/ehp.7254. View

19.

Bradberry S, Proudfoot A, Vale J . Glyphosate poisoning. Toxicol Rev. 2005; 23(3):159-67. DOI: 10.2165/00139709-200423030-00003. View

20.

Shukla G, Kumar A, Bhanti M, Joseph P, Taneja A . Organochlorine pesticide contamination of ground water in the city of Hyderabad. Environ Int. 2005; 32(2):244-7. DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2005.08.027. View