I chose the uses and affects of pesticides on humans and the environment for my Chemistry project. I didn't know much about the affects that pesticides had before working on this project. I also learned a lot about Rachel Carson who I previously knew very little about; she was a writer as well as a scientist and ecologist.

All I knew about pesticides was that they are extremely toxic to people and the environment; the majority of farmers spray pesticides on their crops to keep pests from destroying them. But the reality is that using this method has a negative affect on the food they're growing, which has the potential of bringing harm to people who consume it. I became very interested to try to understand why farmers use this method if they are aware of the outcome of their actions. They rationalize that using pesticides is logical in order to produce enough food as well as making a living for themselves and their families. I feel sure that farmers can use organic pesticides and other alternatives to produce enough healthy crops and still make a living. The use of pesticides is just too detrimental to humans and the environment to rationalize the widespread uses.

DDT is a substance that has been widely used throughout the world. One of its first affective uses was to fight off malaria. Then it was used in pest control substances where the negative affects became apparent. It struck me as interesting that DDT, such a poisonous chemical, has been used to treat malaria.

Although there is so much more information in this area to be studied I feel like I learned a tremendous amount from doing this project, and I'm very thankful I did. Every Action Has a Reaction. When farmers use pesticides to kill pests on their crops, this action causes the reaction of poisoning the people who eat their crops. The way farmers use pesticides so carelessly doesn't make sense to me. Farmers that grow organic crops use organic pesticides which are not genetically altered; this method is a lot better for people's health as well as the environment.