Cotton Investigation by Bo Harrison

Research Qusetion

boharrison2 — 2025-01-22 02:02:35 UTC

What are the health impacts of pesticides and herbicides in cotton growing and how can they be limited through sustainable practices?

boharrison2 — 2025-01-22 02:05:58 UTC

Cotton uses 16% of the world's insecticides, despite covering just 2.4% of cultivated land, making it the world’s ‘dirtiest’ crop.

What should be done?

boharrison2 — 2025-01-22 02:11:47 UTC

We need to support organic and sustainable cotton farming.

boharrison2 — 2025-01-22 02:12:13 UTC

Supporting an organic agricultural means supporting the protection of our food supply from toxic and non-natural chemicals, protecting our health and our eco-system.

boharrison2 — 2025-01-22 02:12:30 UTC

Organic farming can guarantee a better and healthier lifestyle for all. It is clear that organic farming is the best solution after all the implications chemical farming causes. Organic farming does not use harmful pesticides, it’s better for the environment, and it puts more money into the hands of our farmers.

boharrison2 — 2025-01-22 02:12:44 UTC

Farmers are growing healthier cotton, with less pesticides, fertilizer and water. 97% of the water in the Indus River is used to farm crops like cotton. To help reduce pressure on the Indus River, more than 75,000 Pakistani farmers have reduced their use of water by 39%.

Facts

boharrison2 — 2025-01-22 02:15:03 UTC

Conventional cotton uses more chemical pesticides than any other major crop.

boharrison2 — 2025-01-22 02:15:25 UTC

Worldwide, around 200,000 people die annually from pesticide poisoning .

boharrison2 — 2025-01-22 02:15:35 UTC

Long-term exposure to pesticides has been linked to cancer, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases, hormone disruption, developmental disorders and sterility.

Pesticides, Herbicides and Insecticides

boharrison2 — 2025-01-22 02:28:09 UTC

boharrison2 — 2025-01-22 02:31:49 UTC

Aldicarb is cotton’s second best-selling insecticide. It is very poisonous to humans and wildlife. In the U.S. Aldicarb was phased out of use in 2014-2018. This was the result of reports of Aldicarb found in groundwater in 16 states. Still, Aldicarb is used in 25 countries.

boharrison2 — 2025-01-22 02:35:44 UTC

Out of the top 10 pesticides most commonly used on U.S.conventionally produced cotton, eight were classified as moderately to highly hazardous by the World Health Organization.

boharrison2 — 2025-01-22 02:45:43 UTC