Their toxicity and capacity to accumulate in soils and in the food chain was discovered after decades of use in agriculture and these pesticides have played a key role in the degradation of the natural resources, habitats and biodiversity that we experience today. Historically, some of the most toxic, persistent pollutants released into the environment have been pesticides (e.g. However, while pesticides help farmers to grow food in a more intensive and simple way, this generates many externalities as they cause the death of many wildlife species including mammals, earthworms and bees. Pesticides are chemical substances designed to be toxic to organisms that affect plants’ growth such as fungi, insects or weeds. What I discovered was that everything which meant most to me as a naturalist was being threatened and that nothing I could do would be more important.” I realized that here was the material for a book. As she said in her book "the more I learned about the use of pesticides, the more appalled I became. Half a century ago, Rachel Carson’s ‘Silent Spring’ clearly revealed the far-reaching environmental impact of pesticides, which is still relevant today. *The Codex Alimentarius Commission is the international food standards body established by the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations and the World Health Organization.Pesticide use has a harmful impact on biological diversity: they can have short-term toxic effects on directly-exposed organisms, and long-term effects can result from changes to habitats and the food chain.
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