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J. Roth Study Skills 94 Practice Original Pesticides are chemicals that kill. They can slow or stop the growth of pests.
Pests can be insects, fish, rats,
mice, fungi, weeds, and other harmful animals or plants. Pests are bad because they spoil
food. They ruin clothes, household
goods, and buildings. They spread
disease. They can injure and kill people. Pests can also harm helpful animals and plants. Helpful animals and plants are those that people like and
make use of. Or they are ones that are vital to a healthy
world. These might be living things that
give us food such
as crops and cattle. They also could
be houseplants or cats and dogs kept as pets. In this group are the animals and
plants found in nature that people like.
And some forms of life are
needed to keep a smooth and even balance. So, to protect plants and
animals from harm, we use
pesticides. Pesticides are helpful. But they can be harmful, too. Pesticides can be misused. They can be used without following the right
directions. When this happens they do
a great deal of harm to the animals and plants that we want to keep. Pesticides can poison. The deadly effects of these poisons can
last a long time. The remains of some
pesticides last for any years. They harm and kill long
after they were first used. The message is clear. Pesticides are useful. They take care of us and our useful
plants and animals. But if not used in the right way,
pesticides can cause a lot of harm.
You can never be too careful when using pesticides. Guard yourself and others from pesticides. It is not safe for children to use them. In some cases, it is against the law. Ways to control pests without using pesticides need to be
found and tested. Perhaps in the
future we will learn to control pests in a better way. |