Pesticides on more than just produce.

One of the main arguments for eating organically has to be that they contain less pesticides.  But even if your diet is completely organic, you are still being exposed to those pesticides that you are vigilantly trying to avoid.    

Did you know that over a quarter of Canadians rely on groundwater as their water source?

Water contamination from agricultural practices occurs in various methods, depending on the chemical.  The degree of water contamination also depends on the pesticide's physical and chemical properties, the quantity applied, the weather conditions surrounding the time of spraying, as well as the basin hydrology.

"Water quality guidelines are scientifically determined and indicate the maximum allowable concentration of substances for a particular water use such as livestock watering or swimming. These national guidelines serve as the targets for environmental protection." -Environment Canada

According to Environment Canada, exceeding quality criteria has potential consequences, such as:

• Damage to crops- Irrigation uses water from rivers and lakes to water crops.  When the water source exceeds the quality criteria, the water could damage the crop being irrigated.  
• Bioaccumulation in fish and algae- symptoms include lack of motor coordination, delayed maturation and growth, and reproductive impairment.  

I found out firsthand how pesticides can affect me when I played baseball next to a crop that was being sprayed.  I woke up swollen in hives, and stayed that way for the next three days. (I will note that the rest of my team, as far as I know, didn't react in the same manner, or have any reaction at all.)

Think farmers are all to blame?  Think again.  Golf courses use cocktails of chemicals to keep their greens green and weed/pest free.  Luxecoliving.com posted this article, Golf Courses, Polluting with Pesticides, which discusses the problems posed by pesticide use on golf courses.  It can have affects on golf course employees, as well as users of the course, and people living in the surrounding areas.  

"These pesticides are not only a health danger to workers of golf courses or golfers, but to any nearby areas as well. Runoff and airborne drift carry the pesticides to close by neighborhoods and water sources and “pose health risks, both acute and chronic, from common cold like symptoms, nausea, dizziness, headaches, rashes, to birth defects, learning disabilities, infertility, leukemia, various cancers including brain cancer, breast cancer, [and] non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma”, says Jay Feldman of Beyond Pesticides. “Asthma rates in the U.S. have skyrocketed, and there are studies linking asthma to pesticides that are widely used on golf courses.”- Golf Courses, Polluting with Pesticides.  Luxecoliving.com.