Sign Into Environment 911The Disadvantages of Using Fertilizers
Fertilizers are commonly used for agricultural benefits. People may not realize that fertilizer use by the big agricultural industry in the United States and around the world are major contributors to some of the most pressing environmental issues of our time. Besides looking at fertilizers for making your plants grow faster and bigger, if you try to look at the other side of things, you will notice that fertilizers have their harmful effects on health and the environment.
Generally, fertilizers are used to increase agricultural production. Yes, fertilizers are useful. They are used to boost plant’s growth and development. But, these fertilizers have their negative effects on the environment and on the human health and animal health as well. Therefore, just like pollution, fertilizer use is just as much an environmental problem.
Get To Know More About Fertilizers
Fertilizers are substances that are used to enhance soil with additional nutrients and minerals. There are two major types of fertilizers, namely organic and synthetic. These chemicals or substances are added to soil to provide essential supplements that are needed for plant growth and development. In short, fertilizers are used to increase agricultural production. These substances are created to cater to the massive need for food due to an increasing population.
In fact, research shows that 40-60% of agricultural yields are developed from various kinds of fertilizers. Furthermore, 50-60% of the people have grown their crops with the use of artificial fertilizers; while the remaining percentage uses organic fertilizers such as animal waste, etc. However, fertilizers trigger other environmental issues such as pollution and climate change.
The Negative Effects of Fertilizers
Since fertilizers are substances or chemicals that are used for agricultural purposes, these chemicals have their negative effects on the environment and trigger other negative environmental consequences. Although fertilizers are not harmful in nature, too much use or dependency, especially on the synthetic ones, will harm Mother Nature and her inhabitants. Potassium, magnesium, sulfur and nitrogen are the chemicals that are the usual suspects in organic and synthetic fertilizers. Although they are helpful for plant growth and development, they have side effects as follows:
Soil
Fertilizers will compromise the quality of the soil. Actually, too much dependence on fertilizers will alter the soil’s components. As a result, there is an increase in the acidity level, which may be very harmful for the plants and other life forms like microbes, insects, etc.
Water
Phosphates and nitrates are chemicals present in the fertilizers. Once these substances are carried to bodies of water like lakes, rivers, and oceans through precipitation and sewages, it will result in nutrient overload. As a result, it will introduce a threat to bodies of water. It can increase the existence of algae and decrease oxygen levels. Thus, a possiblility of a toxic underwater condition that greatly harms fish and other marine life could occur. In fact, water pollution is one of the most alarming issues in these present times.
Your Health
Once harmful chemicals from fertilizers are present in bodies of waters and in soil, it will affect potable water sources on this planet. The blue baby syndrome is connected to the presence of polluted waters. Blue babies have a bluish or purplish skin color due to insufficient oxygen levels in the skin tissues and the whole body’s systems. Pesticides and lawn fertilizers are presently threatening your health. There are studies that show a correlation between the use of fertilizers and cancer as well as some types of chronic diseases.
Environmental effects
Do you know that fertilizers are one of the major contributors of climate change and other ecological issues? Greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrogen, are present in fertilizers, especially in the synthetic ones. Thus, the emissions of these greenhouse gases are leading causes of climate change.
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