Exposure to pesticides and the associated human health effects.
Pesticides are used widely to control weeds and insect infestation in agricultural fields and various pests and disease carriers (e.g., mosquitoes, ticks, rats, and mice) in houses, offices, malls, and streets. As the modes of action for pesticides are not species-specific, concerns have been raised about environmental risks associated with their exposure through various routes (e.g., residues in food and drinking water). Although such hazards range from short-term (e.g., skin and eye irritation, headaches, dizziness, and nausea) to chronic impacts (e.g., cancer, asthma, and diabetes), their risks are difficult to elucidate due to the involvement of various factors (e.g., period and level of exposure, type of pesticide (regarding toxicity and persistence), and the environmental characteristics of the affected areas). There are no groups in the human population that are completely unexposed to pesticides while most diseases are multi-causal to add considerable complexity to public health assessments. Hence, development of eco-friendly pesticide alternatives (e.g., EcoSMART) and Integrated Pest Management (IPM) techniques is desirable to reduce the impacts of pesticides. This paper was hence organized to present a comprehensive review on pesticides with respect to their types, environmental distribution, routes of exposure, and health impacts.
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Hanyang University, Seoul, 04763, Republic of Korea. Electronic address: kkim61@hanyang.ac.kr.
Ki-Hyun
KH
Kim
Dept. of Farm, Power & Machinery, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh, 2202 Bangladesh.
Ehsanul
E
Kabir
BRAC Clinic, Dhaka, 2202 Bangladesh.
Shamin Ara
SA
Jahan
D000383:Agriculture; D060766:Drinking Water; D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects*; D006801:Humans; D010571:Pest Control; D010573:Pesticide Residues / Q000009:adverse effects*; D010575:Pesticides / Q000009:adverse effects*
D060766:Drinking Water; D010573:Pesticide Residues; D010575:Pesticides
Environmental effect; Health hazards; Pesticide toxicity; Route of exposure