What Are Pesticides, Really? And How Did We Get Here?

When you hear the word pesticide, what comes to mind? Danger? Cancer? Corporate greed? Or maybe… nothing at all?

In this first episode of a four-part series, we go back to the beginning—long before warning labels and viral headlines—to understand how pesticides actually came to be.

We start with the earliest forms of pest control: simple, naturally occurring substances humans used to protect crops. Then we follow a pivotal (and unsettling) shift in history, when wartime chemistry gave rise to some of the most powerful pesticides the world has ever known—yes, including DDT and compounds born from chemical warfare research.

Along the way, we’ll break down essential terminology you’ll need for the rest of the series:

• What pesticides actually are (and the many types they include)
• What they’re designed to do—and what they’re not
• The difference between short-lived and persistent chemicals
• Why “how long something sticks around” matters more than most people realize

This episode isn’t about fear or blind trust—it’s about context. Because you can’t have an informed conversation about modern agriculture, food safety, or regenerative farming without understanding how we got here in the first place.

Think of this as your foundation. The science, history, and language that will make everything else in this series finally click.

References:

https://www.history.com/articles/dust-bowlhttps://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/dustbowl-drought/#:~:text=The%20drought%20and%20misuse%20of%20land%20led,the%20land**%20led%20to%20the%20Dust%20Bowl 

https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/dust-bowl-surviving-dust-bowl/

https://werehistory.org/black-sunday-and-the-american-dust-bowl/#:~:text=The%20storm's%20impact%20included:%20*%20**Destruction**%20The,dirt%20across%20100%20million%20acres%20of%20land

https://www.niehs.nih.gov/health/topics/agents/pesticides

https://kingcounty.gov/en/dept/dph/health-safety/environmental-health/healthy-water-air-soil/lead-toxics-program/facts-about-arsenic#:~:text=Arsenic%20does%20not%20decompose%2C%20biodegrade,soil%20unless%20it%20is%20removed.

https://www.ebsco.com/research-starte