(Photo : Frank Merino)
According to the researchers, their findings refute arguments that lower pesticide consumption has a lower environmental impact. Despite arguments that genetically modified crops will eliminate the need for pesticides, the study indicates that pesticides used on GM crops have the same toxic effects as pesticides used on conventional crops.
The study is focused on the application and toxicity of 380 pesticides used in the United States between 1992 and 2016. According to scientists, many regions across the world are expected to follow the same pattern with lower volumes but greater toxic effects. Still, open-access data on pesticide usage is not available in the EU, Latin America, China, or Russia.