Pesticide contamination literally kills farmers and makes people sick. Raw materials such as cotton require pests, even organic cotton depletes the environment. The only solution to reducing pesticide contamination and reversing its harm is hemp clothing.
The most important things first.
What are pesticides and what is pesticide contamination?
Pesticides are chemicals used to kill or control pests. It is an umbrella term for a variety of chemicals.
- Herbicides are used to get rid of weeds.
- Insecticides used in the treatment of fungicides.
- Fungicides kill or inhibit the growth of fungi and their spores.
- Nemicides are used to control nematodes (plant parasites).
- Rodenticides that are used to treat vertebrate poisoning.
Insecticides are often used to kill mosquitoes and prevent malaria.
So, what is the problem with these chemicals? Looks necessary and crucial to eradicate pests.
Let me tell you.
These pests contain components such as oxygen, chlorine, sulfur, phosphorous, nitrogen and bromine. It even contains heavy metals like arsenic, copper sulfate, lead and mercury.
Pesticides are toxic and environmentally friendly.
Pesticide contamination occurs when pesticides seep from farmland and come into contact with natural resources.
Heavy rain or wind on farmland may cause pests to come into contact with unintended areas. Here they come into contact with clean air, water, land, plants and animals and thus pollute them. This can harm us and our resources.
These pesticides are sprayed over large areas of land. More than 95% of herbicides and more than 98% of pesticides do not reach the target pest.
Once these pesticides come into contact with our resources, they are no longer suitable for use. If these resources are used, they pose serious and long-term threats to our home and planet.
They affect a number of plant and animal species.
Even if pesticides do not come into contact with our resources, the use of pesticides themselves is harmful.
Here’s how.
- Soil contains natural organisms and microbes. These microbes are beneficial to the plant. They break down organic matter in the soil and absorb water as well as nutrients that help plants grow. Pesticides can kill these beneficial microbes that inhibit plant growth.
- The general quality of the soil deteriorates as a result of the use of pesticides. The use of pesticides makes the soil less fertile and thus yields less. This means that farmers have to use more fertilizer.
- Pesticides remain in the environment long after they are used on farmland. Thus, strong winds or rain can send them into bodies of water. Once they reach water bodies, they pose a threat to aquatic life. They can kill and get rid of fish.
- In the United States, 90% of water wells are contaminated with pesticides. Groundwater and rain sources were also found to be polluted. Our drinking water has become unsafe due to pesticides.
- Pesticides are toxic, and therefore can reduce air quality around farmland. People near these lands inhale this air and as a result can get sick.
- These insecticides can also be carried over long distances. Our ecosystems have been polluted with pesticides. You and I may breathe unsafe air that can cause respiratory illness.
- Pesticides can kill plants and trees. Thus, carbon dioxide uptake decreases. This is contrary to the normal thermal equilibrium.
- Pesticide use is directly related to the continuous decline in bee numbers. Bees are vital to plant pollination and our sustenance.
- Pesticides can also make their way through the food chain, harming mammals.
None of us are safe from the use of pesticides. Every part of our food system, producers, workers and consumers are at risk. The people who take the greatest risks are our farmers who use pesticides as well as work on farmland.
Our closets are full of clothes made primarily of cotton and polyester. And I understand why, they are cheap, easy to maintain and readily available.
Cotton is the most pesticide-intensive crop in the world. It consumes a quarter of all pesticides in the world. Herbicides and chemical removers are sometimes used to aid in mechanical cotton harvesting.
in the United States, Insecticides worth $3,300,000,000 It is sprayed annually on traditionally grown cotton.
These chemicals often remain in the fabric after manufacturing is finished. These chemicals are released during the life of the garment. The garment can be toxic to your skin.
Raw cotton is dyed with heavy chemicals and heavy metals that further pollute the environment.
Other fabrics, such as polyester, are synthetic. Polyester is derived from coal, air, water, and petroleum.
More than 60% of clothing is made of polyester. To reduce pesticide contamination, your alternative should not be polyester. Polyester puts a huge strain on our limited resources and is extremely harsh on skin. Polyester emits two to three times more carbon emissions than cotton.
The textile industry has been making use of these fibers while not paying attention to environmental degradation. They are taking advantage of your unconsciousness.
However, you can turn this off. You can be part of a revolution.
I present to you, the only acceptable, sustainable alternative, hemp.
chopsticks An environmentally friendly product. The cannabis plant is a variety of Cannabis sativa plants.
I know what you’re thinking, marijuana. This is a common misconception about cannabis.
Hemp as medicine and industrial hemp are both derived from the type Cannabis sativa. Both contain tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). However, you cannot get high from hemp. Lower concentrations of THC and higher concentrations of cannabidiol (CBD) for cannabis offset its psychoactive effects.
Hemp is a very useful plant and no waste. Each part of the plant can be put to a different use. Hemp can be used to make paper clothing and can be useful in construction. In all of these commodities, hemp proves to be the most sustainable alternative.
Hemp plants can be turned into hemp fabric.
We use the stalk to extract long strands of fibers. These fibers are spun to make a continuous thread, which is woven together to make an all-natural hemp fabric.
This fabric can be easily dyed using organic and all-natural dyes. Therefore, you do not have to worry about chemicals used in the dye or heavy metals.
The fabric is completely safe for your skin.
Hemp not only stops pesticide contamination but has the pollution to reverse the damage caused by other crops.
Here’s how
- Hemp can grow without any fertilizer. It requires minimal attention by farmers and is easy to harvest. It also requires less attention from you. Hemp clothes are very easy to maintain and become softer with every wash.
- Hemp is highly pest resistant. Hence it does not require pesticides or insecticides. Hemp fabric will not contain chemicals.
- Hemp plants grow very quickly and densely, making it difficult for weeds to take root, eliminating the need for synthetic herbicides and fertilizers.
- It is a high yield and low input crop. Aside from not needing pesticides, they do not consume much water either. It thrives on the amount of water in an average rainfall. Hemp grows very quickly and can be planted up to four times a year.
- Hemp plants can absorb large amounts of carbon dioxide. In fact, hemp can sequester 1.63 tons of carbon dioxide for every ton of hemp harvested. Thus, in areas where pesticides have killed plants and trees, cannabis can restore heat balance and improve air quality.
- Hemp can be grown on non-fertile lands. It binds and enriches the soil with its deep roots. Thus, it can improve soil quality for other crops.
- Hemp fabric is lightweight and breathable. It can protect your skin from UV rays and is also resistant to mold, mildew and potentially harmful microbes.
With hemp fabric, you don’t have to sacrifice quality. Alternatively, your clothes can last twice as long as cotton clothes.
You get premium canvas in exchange for helping to fix the environment.
Sustainability is the need of the hour. We may not be the main cause of environmental degradation but we can lead change. This change can start with cannabis.
Hemp is the only solution. Switching to organic clothing is not.
You might think that organic cotton is the easiest and equally effective solution, but it is not. Organic does not mean it is free of chemicals. Organic means that only a limited number of chemicals approved for cultivation are allowed.
Although organic cotton can reduce pest pollution, it also taxes the environment in other ways. In the absence of proper farming methods to ensure sustainability, organic cotton can use more water than conventional cotton. Organic cotton fields produce 40 percent less than conventional cotton.
Hemp is our miracle solution, and your task is to create demand.
Resources
https://foodprint.org/issues/pesticides/
https://omahaorganicslawncare.com/blog/pesticide-pollution/
https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/what-is-the-environmental-impact-of-pesticides.html
https://www.permaculturenews.org/2017/10/31/pesticides-pollution/
