4 ms·

It's a herbicide, not a pesticide. I clicked the article because I was surprised that any current pesticides are that harmful to humans. Pesticides are, gener

It's a herbicide, not a pesticide. I clicked the article because I was surprised that any current pesticides are that harmful to humans. Pesticides are, generally, safe to humans. Herbicides are, generally, not at all safe to humans. Roundup is probably the most safe outside of per-emergents like corn husks or whatever, but it's not a free ride either.

JumpCrisscross 10mo ago
> Pesticides are, generally, safe to humans Out of curiosity, why?
- steviedotboston 10mo ago
  they are designed to target specific aspects of the insects nervous systems that humans dont have and are used in small doses/by the time any residue reaches a human its diluted. herbicides are very different.
  - JumpCrisscross 10mo ago
    Why can't we be similarly selective with plants?
neogodless 10mo ago
https://kagi.com/search?q=Pesticide https://kagi.com/search?q=Pesticide > Pesticides are substances that are used to control pests. They include herbicides, insecticides, nematicides, fungicides, and many others (see table). The most common of these are herbicides, which account for approximately 50% of all pesticide use globally.[0] [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pesticide https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pesticide You're trying to be pedantic, but you're actually wrong. If you think about it, from the perspective of anyone trying to raise crops, weeds are pests. (They are pests to lots of non-farmers, too.) Similarly... > A pest is any organism harmful to humans or human concerns. The term is particularly used for creatures that damage crops, livestock, and forestry or cause a nuisance to people, especially in their homes. > Plants may be considered pests, for example, if they are invasive species or weeds.
- pitaj 10mo ago
  While saying "it's an herbicide, not a pesticide" is categorically incorrect, I still think it would be better if the journalist used the more specific and less confusing term here.
- ltbarcly3 10mo ago
  I'm not trying to be pedantic, I've literally never heard of pesticide used to mean anything but bug killer. I guess you are technically correct?
manarth 10mo ago
> "Pesticides are, generally, safe to humans." There are many common pesticides which have extreme toxicity to humans, including HCN (Hydrogen Cyanide), (ab)used under the brand-name Zyklon B in WW2, and still sold today as a (controlled-use) pesticide under generic brand names. It's a chasm-leap to say that pesticides are generally safe to humans.
ericmcer 10mo ago
I am dubious of all the claims that say something designed to kill organic life is safe because it just means "safe at X dose". Like there isn't a pesticide made where I could drink a tablespoon of it and be fine. It just doesn't present noticeable effects at tiny doses so it is labeled safe. Like if I drank a 1/4 shot of Vodka every morning I wouldn't notice it at all, but I imagine it would have some impacts on my health over the long run. Not to mention we might have 30+ chemicals/medications/additives/whatever all being consumed constantly at "safe levels" with no research into how they interact or accumulate.
- deleted 10mo ago
  [deleted]

JumpCrisscross 10mo ago

> Pesticides are, generally, safe to humans Out of curiosity, why?

steviedotboston 10mo ago
they are designed to target specific aspects of the insects nervous systems that humans dont have and are used in small doses/by the time any residue reaches a human its diluted. herbicides are very different.
- JumpCrisscross 10mo ago
  Why can't we be similarly selective with plants?

neogodless 10mo ago

https://kagi.com/search?q=Pesticide https://kagi.com/search?q=Pesticide > Pesticides are substances that are used to control pests. They include herbicides, insecticides, nematicides, fungicides, and many others (see table). The most common of these are herbicides, which account for approximately 50% of all pesticide use globally.[0] [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pesticide https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pesticide You're trying to be pedantic, but you're actually wrong. If you think about it, from the perspective of anyone trying to raise crops, weeds are pests. (They are pests to lots of non-farmers, too.) Similarly... > A pest is any organism harmful to humans or human concerns. The term is particularly used for creatures that damage crops, livestock, and forestry or cause a nuisance to people, especially in their homes. > Plants may be considered pests, for example, if they are invasive species or weeds.

pitaj 10mo ago
While saying "it's an herbicide, not a pesticide" is categorically incorrect, I still think it would be better if the journalist used the more specific and less confusing term here.
ltbarcly3 10mo ago
I'm not trying to be pedantic, I've literally never heard of pesticide used to mean anything but bug killer. I guess you are technically correct?

manarth 10mo ago

> "Pesticides are, generally, safe to humans." There are many common pesticides which have extreme toxicity to humans, including HCN (Hydrogen Cyanide), (ab)used under the brand-name Zyklon B in WW2, and still sold today as a (controlled-use) pesticide under generic brand names. It's a chasm-leap to say that pesticides are generally safe to humans.

ericmcer 10mo ago

I am dubious of all the claims that say something designed to kill organic life is safe because it just means "safe at X dose". Like there isn't a pesticide made where I could drink a tablespoon of it and be fine. It just doesn't present noticeable effects at tiny doses so it is labeled safe. Like if I drank a 1/4 shot of Vodka every morning I wouldn't notice it at all, but I imagine it would have some impacts on my health over the long run. Not to mention we might have 30+ chemicals/medications/additives/whatever all being consumed constantly at "safe levels" with no research into how they interact or accumulate.

deleted 10mo ago
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