Agricultural Chemicals

As an environmentalist I sometime over look the human issues when it comes to environmental contaminants. I focus on how pesticides and other agricultural chemicals effect the ecosystem when it comes to other animals, but fail to focus on the fact that they also have a huge impact on human health as well. The workers are put in a dangerous position in order to provide produce such as roses at such a high demand. Many workers need these jobs and can't afford to find other, safer work. Mono-agriculture has proven to be unproductive and actually increases the likelihood of pest, which then increases the need for chemicals.
The human health issues caused by the use of chemicals for agriculture have to be mitigated by excluding women

from the work force who are of child-bearing age due to the possible risks while pregnant. These women don't even have to be pregnant at the time of working for these chemicals to cause issues with their reproductive abilities. Excluding women from the work force due to these health concerns also puts women at an economic disadvantage, especially in developing countries. The men who work with pesticides must wear a full body suit in order to protect themselves from contamination. These suits are worn when spraying the foods that you eat, and I for one do not want to eat something so dangerous. Most of the workers put in these jobs are only there due to lack of higher education in the area,

Some Disadvantages of using Fertilizers

The plastic tarps that cover the crops are later sold for many purposes such as for stuffing mattresses or to be used as shower curtains. These tarps are still covered in pesticide residue and expose people to these harsh chemicals. These plastic tarps are used on the farms to protect from the chemicals getting out and making people sick, but many times they are not completely sealed so the areas around the farm are prone to leakages
The downsides of the agricultural industry are human rights issues as well as human health issues. Plantations usually are built next to low income areas where pesticides then cause health issues such as asthma and cancer to those who live nearby. Most of these farms in the U.S. who use chemicals are built in historically Hispanic or black areas knowing well what kind of health damage their chemicals can cause. Sadly, most large agricultural businesses are not interested in feeding the world they want money, if they run out of money they will let the world starve.
When we as a society doing things that hurt other people we're in the wrong and something needs to be done. These workers need safer opportunities and we need cleaner products.