Sexual Maturity Delayed By Pesticide

Endosulfan is an agricultural product used to prevent and remove insects and pests in various crops.

It’s a highly effective agricultural product because of its high toxic level that can easily eliminate insects.

Because of its efficiency, endosulfan is one of the most popular agrichemical products in the world.

However, endosulfan’s popularity as an effective pesticide comes with the price. The high toxic level of the product has prompted countries to ban this type of endosulfan.

More than 50 countries around the world do not allow shipment and use of endosulfan while other countries are strongly controlling the use of the product.

The main reason why many countries banned endosulfan was due to the dangers the agrichemical product poses to man and animals. The product can be fatal even if a small amount is ingested.

This product is usually sprayed in the crops so it’s possible that it could be inhaled or ingested without proper protection.

A recent study in India shows another effect caused by endosulfan. Researchers have reported significant effect of the product on hormone development in men.

Adolescent male who are exposed in this type of chemical might not reach puberty and achieve maturity in their sexual orientation in time.

The report stating the effects of endosulfan to male hormones was published in Environmental Health Perspectives.

The research was conducted in Kerala, India wherein endosulfan was used to spray in massive level to aid development of the cashew trees. The studies were conducted on men aged 10 to 19 years old.

After careful physical examination which includes hormone levels and sexual maturity. It was noted that the sexual maturity of men in Kerala came in later. Their data was compared to another research in a nearby area where the agrichemical was never used.

The main reason why endosulfan became a major factor in sexual development was due to the fact that it’s an endocrine disruptor.

This means hormones in the body will never be processed as soon as expected or might be prevented when exposure significantly increased.

Because endosulfan is an endocrine disruptor, the agrichemical might prevent synthesis of the male hormone which helps in reaching sexual maturity. When the release of male hormone (testosterone) is disrupted, reaching puberty is delayed.

This increases the susceptibility to various diseases as the male development not only in sexuality but also in protection from diseases is not according to their age.

While pesticides such as endosulfan should never concern individuals who are not in agricultural areas, those living near plantations should be on alert with the use of endosulfan.

Even though US is controlling the use of endosulfan, it’s still widely available for protection of various crops such as strawberries and squash.

The biggest challenge in the agricultural areas in the US is actually on the form of distribution of pesticides to crops.

Small aircrafts are used to effectively distribute pesticides which means they can be airborne for some time before it lands on specific crops.

Ample protection has to be implemented to prevent adverse effects of endosulfan.