Pesticides:
 What are they,
and how are they used
 on our food? 
First, pesticides are
 chemical concoctions
used to control,
destroy, or regulate
weeds or insects.
Herbicides kill weeds,
insecticides kill bugs.
Farmers spray chemicals over
crops like corn and soybeans.
In the U.S.,
the vast majority of those crops
are genetically modified
to withstand those chemicals.
Pesticides are also
often used in growing
tomatoes, or apples,
or other fruits
and vegetables we eat directly.
For farmers,
the goal is to get more results
from the crops they plant
and efficiently
grow more food.
Some of the most popular
pesticides used are
Atrazine and Glyphosate,
the active ingredient in the
 weed killer RoundUp,
put out by agribusiness giant
 Monsanto.
What’s the best news you could hear
about the price of RoundUp
herbicide?
Ready?
 It’s dropping right
through the floor!
The government does require
farmers to follow certain rules.
These dictate how much
of each chemical they can use
and when they can use it.
Think you’re free from
pesticides if you buy organic?
Not always.
Organic producers can use
organic pesticides
that are derived from
natural sources
like soil bacteria
and other plants.
Government standards
set safe levels,
but, whether synthetic
or organic,
pesticides in the wrong amount
can be dangerous to your health.
Pesticides can drift
over to neighboring farms
and kill crops
and honeybees
or run off into waterways,
seeping into groundwater.
Conflicting interpretations
of scientific research
have led various authorities
to issue different levels of concern
over pesticide use.
Federal regulators like the
 Environmental Protection Agency,
the U.S. Department of Agriculture
and the Food and Drug
Administration
test pesticide levels
in waterways
and residue on produce.
And they set standards to
protect human health.
So, while the chemicals
are ubiquitous
in our food supply,
their impact remains a question
of much debate.
