Effect Of Weeds On Human Health

Practically all pollen related plants could pose a great threat to hay fever patients. The ragweed (Ambrosia spp.) for example, has caused major issues for people with respiratory-related allergies. Also, the Russian thistle (Salsola iberica and S. collina) and kochia (Kochia scoparia) cause similar health concerns with hay fever sufferers. Leafy spurge contains latex which causes eyes and skin irritation or a dermal rash on the skin. In Boulder County, Colorado, a lot of volunteers who handpicked spotted weeds and diffuse contracted dermal rash from weeds. Effects of Weeds on human health is still not defined or documented.

Effect of Weeds On the Economy

One basis factor common among humans is money. Although there is no proper documentation on the economic consequence of foreign weeds on grazing lands, there are some facts derived from studies.
The vast spread of scotch thistle, Onopordum acanthium in Northern California gives rise to an estimated yearly losses to ranchers of about $60.50 per acre on wet meadows, $20.16 per acre on cheatgrass rangelands and $39.50 per acre on wheatgrass stands. According to statistics, direct yearly losses caused by leafy spurge consisted of 414.4 million decreases in rancher spending which were caused by a reduction in livestock production. By 1990, cattle rearing capacity dropped by over 580, 000AUM or enough to sustain 63, 100 cattle for 7.5 months; leafy spurge infestation caused this.
The overall grazing land losses were estimated at $23.1 million. Leafy spurge infestation caused indirect losses valued at $53.2.
The addition of total direct and indirect destruction caused by leafy spurge to North Dakota wildland and grazingland were estimated at $87.3 million. Most indirect losses in wildland and grazingland were traced to the household segment and were valued at $28.7 million on a yearly basis. Also, the present infestation results to an annual cut down of over 1 000 jobs in North Dakota alone