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TRENDS IN U.S. ANNUAL PESTICIDE USE
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Source: EPA, 1996-1997 Market Estimates, August
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Widespread use of synthetic pesticides in the United States began following World War II. Before the
development of synthetic pesticides, many farmers used naturally occurring substances such as pyrethrums to control insects.* Beginning in the late
1940s, however, federal and local governments sponsored widespread pesticide spraying programs using DDT and other chemicals in urban communities
in Texas and across the country in an effort to eradicate mosquitoes, gypsy moths, the Japanese beetle, and other insects.
By the mid-1950s, pesticide use was credited with increasing farm yield far beyond its pre-World War II
levels. Studies have shown that pesticides have helped keep crop damage at between five and 30 percent of potential production, particularly in large-scale,
single-crop operations that leave themselves vulnerable to severe pest damage.*
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PESTICIDE USE IN 1997
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Source: EPA Office of Pesticide Programs, Pesticide Industry Sales
and Usage: 1996-1997
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The introduction of synthetic pesticides,fertilizers combined with the opportunities associated with more
global food markets and favorable U.S. agricultural policies (including tariffs and subsidies) has made U.S. agriculture a profitable and powerful industry. But,
pesticides have also had a negative impact on U.S agriculture. Today, more than 500 species of insects and mites and more than 150 types of fungi (a 50
percent increase over the past decade) are now resistant to some pesticides.* As a result of this
increasing resistance, combining pesticides, increasing applications, or substituting more expensive, toxic, or ecologically hazardous pesticides occurs more
frequently. In addition to the problem of pesticide resistance, millions of dollars worth of crops have been lost as a result of improper pesticide application.* The health affects of pesticides on humans has, of course, raised serious concern. The high cost and harmful
effects of pesticides have led pesticide users to seek ways to reduce use and find alternative strategies.
The chemical industry itself has responded by introducing pest resistant seed crops and new federal
and state regulations have been introduced to address some of the problems associated with pesticides.
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PESTICIDE USE BY CATEGORY
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Source: EPA Office of Pesticide Programs, Pesticide Industry Sales
and Usage: 1996-1997
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Estimates of pesticide use in the United States are largely based on sales data, extrapolations from
voluntary farmer surveys, and crop data from major producing states. Comprehensive reporting of pesticide use by farmers and other applicators (lawn services,
commercial applicators, golf course superintendents, etc.) is required by state law only in California and New York.* Other states, including New Hampshire, New
Jersey, Montana, Arizona, and Connecticut also have varying forms of use-reporting laws.* Texas does not
have use-reporting legislation.
Total U.S. pesticide usage in 1997 was approximately 4.6 billion pounds of active pesticide ingredients.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, this usage is reflected in 20,700 pesticide products registered under FIFRA.*
The economic value of the pesticide market is significant. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) estimates that $11.3 billion was spent on pesticides in the United States in 1995, with farmers spending about 70
percent of this amount, or $7.9 billion, an average of $4,200 per farm. The average U.S. household spent $20 per year for pesticides applied by the homeowner (but not by hired applicators).* According to EPA estimates, 74 percent of all U.S. households used some form of pesticide in 1994.*
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FYI
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After a 9 year study, in 2003, the EPA
concluded that the most widely used pesticide, atrazine, causes sexual abnormality in frogs, and its use might have unacceptable impacts on the environment and human health This study contributes to the scientific inquiry on whether certain pesticides interfere with the endocrine system.
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