The Effects of Ingesting Pesticides

Each year, 3 million people are poisoned by pesticides and 200,000 of them die, according to the World Health Organization as reported in the New Internationalist. The National Centers for Disease Control found 20,000 pesticide products marketed in the U.S. and 10,000 to 20,000 diagnosed pesticide poisonings in agricultural workers, groundskeepers, pet groomers and fumigators. There are health risks associated with each of the most common types of pesticides: herbicides, fungicides and insecticides.

Herbicides

• Made infamous by Agent Orange in the Vietnam War, herbicides are the most common form of pesticide, used by home owners and farmers in the U.S. to kill unwanted plants. They can be ingested by the public when agricultural products are not properly sterilized, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Glyphosate, or "Roundup," the world's most common weedkiller, causes sore throat, difficulty swallowing and bleeding of the gastrointestinal tract when ingested. Trifluralin, a common U.S. herbicide banned in the European Union, causes skin rash and eye irritation states Pesticide Reform.

Fungicides

• Some fungicides are man-made chemical compounds, while others, called bio-fungicides, are made from living microorganisms such as bacteria. Like herbicides, fungicides are used by humans for destruction; they penetrate and kill fungi. One of the most harmful common fungicides is Ziram, found in AAvolex, Fungostop, Z-C spray and other products. It can cause headache, nausea and vomiting if ingested with alcohol. Per Pesticide Reform, large amounts of Ziram causes neural and visual disturbance, and the destruction of red blood cells which can be fatal.

Insecticides

• Insecticides can be accidentally ingested when using spray bottles.

  Insecticides kill insects, their larvae and their eggs. They are used by humans to prevent bites and to keep insects out of their gardens and off of their pets. When accidentally ingested, insecticides can be harmful to people and their companions. Trichlorfon is used on home lawns, agricultural fields and golf course turf to prevent infestation from cockroaches, scorpions, earwigs, flies, ants, ticks and other insects, states the Environmental Protection Agency. The pesticide is known to cause muscle twitching, excessive salivation and tearing, nausea and diarrhea. Heavier exposures cause loss of consciousness and respiratory depression according to the Pesticide Reform website.

Global Effects of Pesticides

• Pesticides affect the human population on a global basis. Because they are applied directly to the ground, the chemicals in pesticides break down, mix with the earth's natural minerals and eventually wash into the ocean, where they are carried to all the regions of the world. This process adversely affects the health of everyone who uses the earth's materials. Pesticide Reform writes that beyond the fatalities attributed directly to pesticides each year, many of them have have been found to contain carcinogens, or chemicals, which are linked to cancer.