User:Ariellemei/Pesticides vs the Meat Industry

Introduction
Urban agriculture in modern times usually relies on heavy use of pesticides. Herbicides, fungicides, insecticides, and rodenticides have been developed over time to target specific pests and offer protection from organisms that carry diseases such as mosquitoes; however, due to running health concerns resulting from the use of these chemicals, the production of modern pesticides is strictly regulated by the government in most countries. Pesticide poisoning in non-target organisms such as farm animals, wild animals, and humans is common due to the widespread use of pesticides; the chemicals often are accidentally consumed by non-target organisms or leak and contaminate rivers. When farm animals are exposed to pesticides through drinking contaminated water or consuming contaminated feed, it can lead to pesticide residue in meat products as the chemicals may not be completely removed when the meat is processed; thus, the production of these meats may cause health concerns to rise.

Pesticides: Overview
Pesticides by definition are substances that repel pests; they have been divided into several subclasses depending on the target organism: insecticides to repel or kill insects, herbicides to kill weeds, fungicides to kill mold/fungi, and rodenticides to repel rodents. Many harsh chemicals that were used before modern times are still in practice today or just recently went out of practice, such as using sulfur and arsenic. It wasn't until the 19th and 20th centuries that synthetic organic chemistry was used; it ultimately became the main method of creating modern pesticides Although pesticides have been introduced as a way to protect crops from being eaten and from getting diseases, they have potentially very toxic effects on non-target organisms. There have been specific linkages found between pesticides and dysfunction in animals.

Insecticides
There are many types of insecticides that have been observed to cause effects on non-target organisms: organochlorine insecticides, organophosphate insecticides, pyrethroid insecticides, and mitochondrial complex I inhibitors. Organochlorine insecticides such as DDT, Dieldrin, and Endosulfan are often found in mammalian tissues due to direct exposure to the chemicals through crops and animal meat. Organophosphate insecticides have been found as the cause of multiple disorders such as SLUD syndrome, DUMBBELS, and intermediate syndrome in humans. Pyrethroid insecticides, mostly used in agricultural and household environments, are responsible for T syndrome and CS syndrome, and they were found to have greater effects on younger animals. Mitochondria complex I inhibitors such as rotenone and pyridaben result in structural damage to mitochondria in non-target organisms which lead to adverse neurological effects. Most cases of concern regarding the link between pesticides and animal meat reside with organochlorine pesticides.

Herbicides
Because herbicides mostly affect plants, their effects on animals were widely overlooked until the early 21st century. There still has not been many studies to find the adverse effects herbicides have on animals.

== Studies Linking Pesticides and Animal Meat                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              == Multiple studies have been performed to measure the amount of pesticide residues in animal meats. Specifically, three studies conducted in Bosnia and Egypt were performed with the intention of detecting precise levels of pesticides within various types of meats meant for human consumption. These studies were conducted in similar fashions with the meat samples being tested using gas chromatography instruments to analyze the level of pesticide compounds.

The first study conducted in Bosnia tested to determine the concentration of 19 organochlorine pesticides in meats meant for human consumption. Samples were taken from various types of meat including pancetta, dry pork neck, pork tenderloin, and sausages. Only two organochlorine pesticides were detected in the meat: α-HCH and Lindane. These two pesticides were detected in various meats above the limit of detection, while all other 17 pesticides were under said LOD. However, the testing found α-HCH and Lindane to be below the maximum residue level stated by the European Commission Regulation of 100 µg/kg.

A second study was conducted in Egypt to test for 14 types of organochlorine compounds in 160 beef samples and 160 sheep samples. With the same testing of gas chromatography, α-HCH was detected in both types of samples at a level below the aforementioned MRL during winter seasons. In the summer seasons, a second type of pesticide, δ–HCH was detected along with α-HCH in sheep samples. The study also found pyrethroid pesticide residues in both the summer and winter seasons. All detected pesticides were below the MRL of 100 µg/kg, but their traces were evident within the meat samples.

The third and final study was conducted using 75 samples of frankfurter and luncheon meats (150 combined) to test for residues of organophosphorus and organochlorine pesticides using gas chromatography. Organophosphorus was not found, but three types of organochloride pesticide residues were found at relatively high levels of 3.638 ppm in luncheon samples. A lower level of two pesticides were found in frankfurter samples at 1.698 ppm. All detected quantities were below the MRL of 5 ppm in meat, according to the World Health Organization.

All detected quantities of pesticides were below stated MRL levels established by the World Health Organization and European Commission Regulation. However, the existence of these pesticides still pose a potential problem to human health. Organochlorine pesticides are a main cause of concern and were detected in all three studies.

Conclusion
Although there have been several studies with the purpose of finding many types of pesticide residues in animal meat and how that can affect the meat industry and health overall, organochlorine pesticides have been found to be a main cause of concern. The most relevant effects of these concerns have been found in mothers of newborn children and babies.

For example, it has been found that mothers who are exposed to organochlorine pesticides either directly or indirectly have a higher risk of passing these residues to their newborn babies through breastfeeding. Residues from these organochlorine pesticides can accumulate in breast milk fat which then gets consumed by the child. Many studies searching for the link between pesticide residues in meat often sample beef, fish, and/or chicken. It has been found that beef usually contains the highest pesticide contamination levels while chicken contains the lowest contamination levels. Therefore, mothers who eat a diet in which beef is the main source of meat risk exposing their babies to pesticide residues that may affect them in the future. Although this information may not be well-known to mothers around the world, those who do understand the effects of pesticide residues and how it relates to their diets will choose to avoid purchasing certain types of meats; if enough people are aware of this, it could lead to problems within the meat business.

The link between pesticide residues and breast milk is only one example of how pesticides can affect health through meat. There has not yet been too many studies to provide enough information about how pesticides other than organochlorine pesticides affect the meat industry and health.