How do pesticides affect our environment and health?

What are Pesticides? 

A substance used to destroy insects or another organism.
There are a lot of varieties -
Herbicide- kill plants
Insecticides- kill insect
Rodenticides- kill mice and rats
Fungicides- kill fungus etc.

Pesticides are harmful for environment as well as humans. Even natural pesticides are as harmful as the artificial pesticides but it depends on its amount.

Pesticides are classified into two majors groups-

First one is Contact, in which pesticides kill pest when they come into direct contact with pest,

and second is Systemic, in which pesticides incorporated into a plant cell structure and kill pest when they eat the plant.

Both varieties are harmful.

We have seen the impact of DDT on the environment. Uncontrolled use of DDT raised many environmental and human health issues. It does not kill only insect but also affects the aquatic food chain by biomagnification (refers to increases in concentration at successive trophic level). Collection of more DDT in higher trophic level disturbs calcium metabolism in birds which cause thinning of egg shell and their premature breaking. Eventually causing decline in bird population.

Pesticides can cause of birth defects, Neurological problem, chronic disease, miscarriage, and it also affects our endocrine and immune system. Children are most susceptible to the adverse effect of pesticides. We have seen endosulfan tragedy of Kerala, India.
https://everylifecounts.ndtv.com/endosulfan-affected-karnataka-demand-better-compensation-threaten-fast-death-13515

If people can afford organic food then they should use organic food. Those people who use conventional food, they should clean their food with salt water solution or Apple cider vinegar & water solution. But this is not a permanent solution. Each and every country’s government should promote their farmers to switch towards organic farming and should learn from Sikkim, India.