PESTICIDES & NATURAL PESTICIDES

• Worldwide pesticide production increased at a rate of about 11% per

year, from 0.2 million tons in the 1950s to more than five million tons in
2000.
• In 2020, the global production of pesticide reached 3.5 million tons.
• It is estimated that only 0.1% of applied pesticides reach the target
pests, leaving the vast majority of the chemicals (99.9%) to linger in
the environment.
• Organophosphate pesticides are one of the most extensively applied
insecticides in the field of agriculture.
• Approximately 40% of all pesticides produced and used commercially
belong to this category.
• Pesticides have been associated with short- and long-term effects
on human health, including elevated cancer risks and potential
disruption of the body’s metabolic functioning as well as the
reproductive, immune, endocrine, and nervous systems.
• A 2022 systematic review and meta-analysis suggests that
pesticide exposure is a major risk factor for metabolic syndrome.
• The analysis included 12 studies for a total of 6,789 participants,
in which 1,981 (29.1%) had metabolic syndrome; overall exposure
to pesticides and their contaminants increased the risk of
metabolic syndrome by 42%.
• Exposure to pesticides predominantly comes from dermal absorption
or through ingestion, particularly through food—either on or within
fruits and vegetables or in the tissues of fish and other animals we
eat—through contaminated drinking water, or in the air we breathe.
• Respiratory pathologies are also related to occupational exposure to
pesticides, including asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
(COPD), and lung cancer.
• One interesting study found associations between agricultural crops
and the risk of lung cancer in agricultural workers; winegrowers were
at a higher risk of adenocarcinoma, pea growers were at a higher risk
of small-cell lung cancer, and the risk of squamous cell carcinoma was
increased by sunflower growing, fruit tree pruning, and pesticide use
on beets.
• Neonicotinoid pesticides are members of a relatively new class of
chemicals registered in 120 countries for their use on crops like corn,
canola, soybeans, and the majority of fruits and vegetables.
• In addition to being toxic to birds and mammals, neonicotinoids have been
associated with colony collapse disorder in honeybees.
• Studies suggest that in humans, these neonicotinoids (and atrazine as well)
are effective inducers of aromatase in human adrenocortical carcinoma
cells.
• A 2016 study published in Toxicological Sciences for the first time
demonstrated in vitro that neonicotinoids may stimulate a change in the
enzyme aromatase (CYP19) in a promoter-specific manner similar to that
observed in patients with hormone-dependent breast cancer.
 Insecticides & Herbicides
• Organophosphates (carbon- and phosphate-containing molecules) are also the
most commonly used components of insecticides and herbicides in the US in
all market sectors (i.e., agriculture, home and garden, industrial, commercial,
and government).
• The International Agency for Research on Cancer classifies malathion and
diazinon as probably carcinogenic to humans and dichlorvos, parathion, and
tetrachlorvinphos as possibly carcinogenic to humans.
• The US Environmental Protection Agency also classifies parathion as a possible
human carcinogen. Increased cancer risk has been associated with several
organophosphate insecticides in epidemiological studies in the US, Canada,
and Italy.
• In addition to cancer, studies suggest that organophosphates may be tied to a
wide variety of other negative health effects, including ADHD,muscle
weakness, and numbness.12
 GLYPHOSATE
• Use of the herbicide glyphosate began in the 1970s, and the chemical swiftly
attained widespread use in modern agriculture, becoming the most commercially
successful and widely used herbicide of all time as of 2016.
• Total worldwide glyphosate use (agricultural plus non-agricultural) rose more
than 12-fold from about 67 million kg in 1995 to 826 million kg in 2014 (0.15-1.8
billion pounds).
• Levels of glyphosate and its primary metabolite, aminomethylphosphonic acid
(AMPA), have been detected in the air, soil, water, and food.
• A number of studies suggest that glyphosate stimulates breast cancer growth via
estrogen receptors.
• A 2018 study published in Food and Chemical Toxicology investigated the effect of
glyphosate on the estrogen signaling pathway involved in the induction of
cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) cell growth, cell cycle, and molecular signaling
pathways. The data suggest that glyphosate can induce cell growth in estrogen
receptor-alpha–positive CCA cells through the non-genomic estrogen
receptor/ERK1/2 signaling pathway.
• More recently, Bayer, the company behind Roundup weed killer, which
contains glyphosate, settled most of the current and possible future lawsuits
brought against it by plaintiffs alleging that glyphosate causes cancer.
• The press reports that non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma patients started suing in 2015
when the World Health Organization report suggested glyphosate might cause
cancer.
• Monsanto, the company that developed glyphosate and is now owned by
Bayer, has long maintained that Roundup does not cause cancer, citing some
studies that suggest glyphosate may be safe.
• Even so, in July 2021, Bayer said it would remove all glyphosate-based
herbicides from the US consumer market by 2023 due to tens of thousands of
lawsuits brought by people alleging they developed non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma
from exposure.
• In addition to glyphosate, malathion, parathion, and dimethoate are known
for their endocrine-disrupting potential.
• They have been associated with effects on the function of cholinesterase
enzymes; a decrease in insulin secretion; disruption of normal cellular
metabolism of proteins, carbohydrates, and fats; genotoxic effects; and
effects on mitochondrial function, which can lead to cellular oxidative stress
and problems with the nervous and endocrine systems.
• As for other developing countries, very little is known about the
transfer of CUPs to the human diet in India, where systematic
monitoring is not in place. In this study, we analyzed ninety four CUPs
and detected thirty CUPs in several food products belonging to five
types: cereals and pulses, vegetables, fruits, animal-based foods, and
water. Samples were taken from markets in Delhi (aggregating food
produced all over India) and in the periurban area of Dehradun
(northern India)
• Overall, chlorpyrifos and chlorpropham were the most detected CUPs
with a detection frequency of 33% and 25%, respectively. Except for
vegetables and fruits, the levels of CUPs in all other food types were
significantly higher in samples from Delhi (p < 0.05). Exposure dosage
of CUPs through different food matrices was calculated, and
chlorpropham detected in potatoes had the maximum exposure
dosage to humans (2.46 × 10−6 mg/kg/day). Risk analysis based on the
hazard quotient technique indicated that chlorpyrifos in rice
(2.76 × 10−2) can be a concern.

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Natural pesticides
• Natural pesticides are pesticides that are made from minerals, plants, minerals,
or microorganisms found in nature.
• Natural pesticides don’t remain in the environment as long as synthetic
pesticides. They’re generally considered less toxic and more environmentally safe
than many synthetic pesticides.
• There are several different methods of natural pest control.
• Bot anical pest icides. These pesticides use naturally occurring chemicals that are
derived or extracted from plants or minerals.
• One of these botanical pesticides is neem. This comes from the neem
tree: Azadirachta indica . Neem extract is toxic to caterpillars, aphids, and
termites. It has low toxicity to mammals, though, and is biodegradable.
• Pyrethrins are a mixture of six plant chemicals used to control pests like fleas,
flies, moths, and mosquitoes. It’s a compound found in
some chrysanthemum flowers. It can be found in over 2,000 registered pesticide
products. It’s fast-acting and is low in toxicity to mammals.
Biochemical pesticides. While conventional pesticides neutralize pests,
biochemical pesticides have substances like plant hormones that may interfere
with mating and other behaviors. Some may produce plant extracts that attract
insects to traps.
• To date, auxins, gibberellins (GAs), cytokinins (CKs), abscisic acid (ABA),
ethylene, brassinosteroids (BRs), jasmonic acid (JA), salicylic acid (SA),
florigen, and strigolactones (SLs) have been reported as plant hormones.
• Some plant hormone-like compounds are registered as pesticides. An auxin-
like compound, 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D), was successfully
developed as an herbicide in the USA in 1945, which is the earliest plant
growth regulatory pesticide, and is still available in the agricultural market.
• GAs, CKs, and ethylene are also available in the agricultural market as plant
growth regulators (PGRs). BR- and SL-like compounds have received a lot of
attention in recent years because they can be candidates for new PGRs in
agriculture.
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• Microbial pest icides/Biological agent s. This type of natural pesticide has a
microorganism as its active ingredient. Microorganisms include fungus,
viruses, and bacteria. Microbial pesticides can control different types of
pests.
• The most common microbial pesticides are strains of Bacillus thuringiensis
(Bt). The different strains kill a few specific species of larvae. For example,
some Bt ingredients are meant to control larvae of mosquitoes and flies,
while others target moth larvae.
• Preda tory ins ects , pa ra s itic wa s ps tha t ta rget s pecific pes ts while
lea ving other orga nis ms unha rmed.
• Minera l-ba s ed compounds : Some na tura lly occurring minera ls ha ve
pes ticida l properties tha t ca n help control pes ts . Exa mples a re
dia toma ceous ea rth, which da ma ges the exos keletons of ins ects , a nd
ka olin cla y, which a cts a s a phys ica l ba rrier to deter pes ts .
Neem
• Th e n e e m tre e (Aza dira chta indica ) o rigin a te d in So u th e a st Asia . It is a n
eve rgre e n b ro a d le a f in th e m a h o ga n y fa m ily. Th e tre e is wid e ly d istrib u te d
in Africa a n d In d ia a n d a s a n o rn a m e n ta l in su b tro p ica l re gio n s. Th e fru it is
th e size o f a sm a ll o live a n d th e s e e d co n t a in s 10–30% o il.
• Th e le a ve s , o il a n d b a r k h a ve p e s t icid a l p r o p e r t ie s . Th e m a jo r a ctive
in gre d ie n t in th e o il is a za d ira ch tin , so ld a s Ne e m Se e d Extra ct o r Ne e m Oil.
• Howeve r, th e re a re m o re th a n 25 o t h e r a ct ive co m p o u n d s in t h e o il.
Ne e m h a s sh own in se cticid a l, fu n gicid a l a n d b a cte ria l p ro p e rtie s.
• Th e n e e m tre e h a s b e e n u se d m e d icin a lly in In d ia fo r ce n tu rie s. It is kn own
th e re a s th e to o th b ru sh tre e . It is u se d a s a te a , to in h ib it a lle rgic re a ctio n s,
a n d to in h ib it p la q u e -fo rm in g b a cte ria .
• It h a s b e e n u se d fo r skin in fe ctio n s a n d wo u n d s a s we ll a s m a la r ia a n d
in t e s t in a l p a r a s it e s in co u n trie s wh e re it is n a tive . It is fo u n d in so a p s,
lo tio n s a n d to o th p a ste in th e Un ite d Sta te s.
• Aza d ira ch tin is syste m ica lly ta ke n u p by p la n ts th ro u gh ro o ts a n d
we a kly syste m ic in th e le a ve s. It h a s b o th syste m ic a n d d ire ct
co n ta ct a ctio n . On ly s u ck in g a n d p ie r cin g in s e ct s a r e a ffe ct e d b y
t h e s ys t e m ic fo r m .
• Th is extra ct a lso a cts a s a n a n tife e d a n t, re p e lle n t, growth re ta rd a n t,
ste rila n t, d ire ct toxin a n d d e te rre n t to e gg-la yin g.
• Extra cts h a ve in h ib ite d fe e d in g in 170 in s e ct s p e cie s in s e ve n
o r d e r s , n o rm a l growth in fo u r o rd e rs a n d it is d ire ctly toxic to
a p h id s, te rm ite s a n d va rio u s ca te rp illa rs. It d isru p ts
m e ta m o rp h o sis in extre m e ly sm a ll a m o u n ts.
• Aza d ira ch tin is a ve ry co m p lica te d ch e m ica l co m p o u n d a n d b e lo n gs to
th e cla ss ca lle d lim o n o id s. Du e to its co m p lexity, it will b e d ifficu lt fo r
in se cts to b e co m e re sista n t to it. It is ve ry low in toxicity to m a m m a ls,
is b io d e gra d a b le , a n d h a s little e ffe ct o n n a tu ra l p re d a to rs.
• It d o e s n o t a p p e a r to b e m u t a ge n ic. Th e a ctive in gre d ie n ts
b io d e gra d e ra p id ly in su n ligh t a n d with in a few we e ks in th e so il. It
a lso h a s a n ti-fu n ga l a n d a n tib a cte ria l a ctio n .
• As a p e sticid e , it is n ow ge n e ra lly a va ila b le in m o st ga rd e n sto re s.
Ne e m tre e p la n ta tio n s a re b e in g e sta b lish e d in su ita b le clim a te s.
This com pound is found in the s eeds (0.2 to 0.8 percent by weight) of the neem tree, Azadirachta indica
(hence the prefix a za does not im ply a n a za com pound, but refers to the s cientific s pecies na m e).
• The pyrethrins are a class of organic compounds normally derived from
Chrysanthemum cinerariifolium that have potent insecticidal activity by
targeting the nervous systems of insects.
• Pyrethrins delay the closure of voltage-gated sodium channels in the nerve
cells of insects, resulting in repeated and extended nerve firings. This
hyperexcitation causes the death of the insect due to loss of motor
coordination and paralysis.
• Resistance to pyrethrin has been bypassed by pairing the insecticide with
synthetic synergists such as piperonyl butoxide.
• Pyrethrin naturally occurs in chrysanthemum flowers and is often considered
an organic insecticide when it is not combined with piperonyl butoxide or other
synthetic adjuvants.
• Pyrethrins are gradually replacing organophosphates and organochlorides as
the pesticides of choice as the latter compounds have been shown to have
piperonyl butoxide
significant and persistent toxic effects to humans.
• They first appeared on markets in the 1900's and have been continually used
since then in products such as bug bombs, building insect sprays, and even to
spray animals so that they do not get infectious diseases
• The key step in the biosynthesis of the naturally occurring pyrethrins
involves two molecules of dimethylallyl pyrophosphate, which join to
form a cyclopropane ring by the action of the enzyme chrysanthemyl
diphosphate synthase.
• Commercial pyrethrin production mainly takes place in mountainous
equatorial zones. The commercial cultivation of the Dalmatian
chrysanthemum (C. cinerariifolium) takes place at an altitude of 1600 to
3000 meters above sea level.
• Most of the world's supply of pyrethrin and C. cinerariaefolium comes
from Kenya, which produces the most potent flowers. Other countries
include Croatia (in Dalmatia) and Japan. Kenya has produced about 70%
of the world's supply of pyrethrum.
• Active ingredients are extracted with organic solvents to give a
concentrate containing the six types of pyrethrins: pyrethrin I, pyrethrin
II, cinerin I, cinerin II, jasmolin I, and jasmolin II.
• Pyrethrins are applied broadly as nonspecific insecticides. Bees have
been shown to be particularly sensitive to pyrethrin, with fatal doses as
small as 0.02 micrograms. Due to this sensitivity and pollinator decline,
pyrethrins are recommended to be applied at night to avoid typical
pollinating hours, and in liquid rather than dust form.
• Synergists make pyrethrin more effective, allowing lower doses to be effective.
• Pyrethrins are effective insecticides because they selectively target insects rather than
mammals due to higher insect nerve sensitivity, smaller insect body size, lower mammalian
skin absorption, and more efficient mammalian hepatic metabolism.
• Also, mammals are able to process pyrethrin quickly and have higher body temperatures
which prevent pyrethrin from working effectively.
• Although pyrethrin is a potent insecticide, it also functions as an insect repellent at lower
concentrations.
• Pyrethroids are labeled "low-toxicity" chemicals and are ubiquitous in home-care products.
• Pyrethrins are widely regarded as better for the environment, and can be harmless if used
only in the field with localized sprays, as UV exposure breaks them down into harmless
compounds. Additionally, they have little lasting effect on plants, degrading naturally or
being degraded by the cooking process.
• Pyrethrins are among the safest insecticides on the market due to their rapid degradation in
the environment.
• In mammals, toxic exposure to pyrethrum can lead to tongue and lip numbness, drooling,
lethargy, muscle tremors, respiratory failure, vomiting, diarrhea, seizures, paralysis,
• Aquatic life is extremely susceptible to pyrethrin toxicity, and has been
documented in species such as the lake trout. Although pyrethrins are
quickly metabolized by birds and most mammals, fish and aquatic
invertebrates lack the ability to metabolize these compounds, leading to a
toxic accumulation of byproducts.
• To combat the accumulation of pyrethroids in bodies of water, the
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has introduced two labeling
initiatives. The Environmental Hazard and General Labeling for Pyrethroid
and Synergized Pyrethrins Non-Agricultural Outdoor Products was revised in
2013 to reduce runoff into bodies of water after use in residential,
commercial, institutional, and industrial areas.
• The Pyrethroid Spray Drift Initiative updated language for labeling all
pyrethroid products to be used on agricultural crops.
• Because of its high toxicity to fish and aquatic invertebrates even at low
doses, the EPA recommends alternatives such as pesticide-free methods or
alternative chemicals that are less harmful to the surrounding aquatic
environment.
• Another way of repelling insects naturally is to plant certain species of
plants in your garden. These include:
• Rosemary. This repels many different insects, such as cabbage moths,
mosquitoes, and flies.
• Marigolds. Many garden pests like squash bugs, slugs, and tomato
hornworms keep away from marigold plants.
• Chrysanthemums. Many insects stay away from this flowering plant. These
include ticks, spider mites, and Japanese beetles.
• Lavender. This strongly scented plant puts off mosquitoes, as well as deer
and mice, though pollinators like bees love it.
• Basil. This herb is often used on farms and gardens to keep pests away from
more vulnerable crops and flowers.
• Toxicit y t o animals. Some natural pesticides may be nontoxic or
mildly toxic to people, but they may be very toxic to some animals.
For example, the natural pesticide ryania, which comes from a
plant, is toxic to fish.