Tuesday, November 4, 2014

Chapter 27 America at Midcentury

It was interesting to read about the how farm businesses started to use more chemicals on their crops.  Although they did not have the knowledge we have today on pesticides I still argued in my mind they are wrong to use it. I could really connect to the reading in this section. Reading this section reminded me of back home, I come from a small farm town, where there is a farm across the street from me. Pesticides really affected the town especially the air we breathe. I remember when the farmers would spray the fields; the town would either mail a letter or email telling us to stay indoors due to bad air quality from the pesticides. Due to the bad air quality when they sprayed the fields,  schools the kept us indoors and avoided any outdoors activities, and high schools would have to cancelled any outside sports’ practice or game.  Just from living in a farm town I lived and know how pesticides can affect us greatly.

            When my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer, I was highly motivated to learn more about breast cancer. During breast cancer week at NDNU I attended an open panel discussion; one panel lady discussed how pesticide is a leading cause in breast cancer especially in farm towns and farmers wives. Pesticides do real harm to our environment and farmer still use it despite all the health issues pertaining to it and how it is affecting our atmosphere. What I don’t understand now and back then why they would continue using pesticides when the farmers know all the harmful causes from it. Or may the question I should ask is why it is not banned, I think if it endangers a mass population and animals it should be banned. When reading about pesticide increase in the 1962 it hit a sensitive spot to me. 

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