The pesticides that farmers use to protect their crops have changed a great deal over the last few decades.
While improvement is something we expect from technologies as diverse as pharmaceuticals, electronics or plant breeding, few people are aware of the positive developments in the chemicals used for crop protection. I find that many plant molecular biologists and other defenders of biotechnology have a similarly out-dated view of pesticides.
Dramatic change began with the establishment of the EPA in 1970 which led to the elimination of many problematic, old pesticides. Also, there has been a steady stream of new product introductions with both safety and efficacy advantages.
Fortunately, for reasons I will describe in a subsequent post, the pesticides available to farmers today are both effective and relatively safe – much safer than what they were a few decades ago, and much safer than most people imagine.
Read the full, original article: An Example of How Much Pesticides Have Changed
