What is a pesticide?
A pesticide is any substance or mixture of substances intended
for:
·
preventing
·
destroying
·
repelling
·
mitigating any pest.
Though often misunderstood to refer only to insecticides, the term
pesticide also applies to herbicides, fungicides, and various other substances
used to control pests.
Under United States law, a pesticide is also any substance or
mixture of substances intended for use as a plant regulator, defoliant, or
desiccant.
What is a pest?
Pests are living organisms that occur where they are not wanted or
that cause damage to crops or humans or other animals. Examples include:
·
insects
·
mice and other animals
·
unwanted plants (weeds)
·
fungi
·
microorganisms such as bacteria
and viruses
·
prions
Do household products contain
pesticides?
Many household products are pesticides. All of these common
products are considered pesticides:
·
Cockroach sprays and baits
·
Insect repellents for personal
use.
·
Rat and other rodent poisons.
·
Flea and tick sprays, powders,
and pet collars.
·
Kitchen, laundry, and bath
disinfectants and sanitizers.
·
Products that kill mold and
mildew.
·
Some lawn and garden products,
such as weed killers.
·
Some swimming pool chemicals.
What is the balance between the
risks and benefits of pesticides?
By their very nature, most pesticides create some risk of harm - Pesticides can cause harm to humans, animals, or the environment
because they are designed to kill or otherwise adversely affect living
organisms.
At the same time, pesticides are useful to society - Pesticides
can kill potential disease-causing organisms and control insects, weeds, and
other pests.
Are some pesticides safer than
others?
Biologically-based pesticides, such as pheromones and microbial
pesticides, are becoming increasingly popular and often are safer than
traditional chemical pesticides.
What about pest control
devices?
A pest control "device" is any instrument or contrivance
(other than a firearm) intended for trapping, destroying, repelling, or
mitigating any pest. A black light trap is an example of a device.
What substances are not regulated as pesticides?
The U.S. definition of pesticides is quite broad, but it does have
some exclusions:
·
Drugs used to control diseases
of humans or animals (such as livestock and pets) are not considered
pesticides; such drugs are regulated by the Food and Drug Administration.
·
Fertilizers, nutrients, and
other substances used to promote plant survival and health are not considered
plant growth regulators and thus are not pesticides.
·
Biological control agents,
except for certain microorganisms. (Biological control agents include
beneficial predators such as birds or ladybugs that eat insect pests.)
Types of Pesticides
Pesticides are often referred to according to the type of pest they control. Another way
to think about pesticides is to consider those that are chemical pesticides or are derived from a
common source or production method. Other categories include biopesticides, antimicrobials, and pest control devices.
Chemical Pesticides
Some examples of chemically-related pesticides follow. Other
examples are available in sources such as Recognition and Management of Pesticide Poisonings.
Organophosphate Pesticides - These pesticides affect the nervous system by disrupting the
enzyme that regulates acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter. Most organophosphates
are insecticides. They were developed during the early 19th century, but their
effects on insects, which are similar to their effects on humans, were
discovered in 1932. Some are very poisonous (they were used in World War II as
nerve agents). However, they usually are not persistent in the environment.
Carbamate Pesticides affect the nervous system by disupting an enzyme that regulates
acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter. The enzyme effects are usually reversible.
There are several subgroups within the carbamates.
Organochlorine Insecticides were commonly used in the past, but many have been removed from
the market due to their health and environmental effects and their persistence
(e.g. DDT and chlordane).
Pyrethroid Pesticides were developed as a synthetic version of the naturally occurring
pesticide pyrethrin, which is found in chrysanthemums. They have been modified
to increase their stability in the environment. Some synthetic pyrethroids are
toxic to the nervous system.
Biopesticides
Biopesticides are certain types of
pesticides derived from such natural materials as animals, plants, bacteria,
and certain minerals. For example, canola oil and baking soda have pesticidal
applications and are considered biopesticides. At the end of 2001, there were
approximately 195 registered biopesticide active ingredients and 780 products.
Biopesticides fall into three major classes:
(1) Microbial pesticides consist of a microorganism (e.g., a bacterium, fungus, virus or
protozoan) as the active ingredient. Microbial pesticides can control many
different kinds of pests, although each separate active ingredient is
relatively specific for its target pest[s]. For example, there are fungi that
control certain weeds, and other fungi that kill specific insects.
The most widely used microbial pesticides are subspecies and
strains of Bacillus thuringiensis, or Bt. Each strain of this bacterium
produces a different mix of proteins, and specifically kills one or a few
related species of insect larvae. While some Bt's control moth larvae found on
plants, other Bt's are specific for larvae of flies and mosquitoes. The target
insect species are determined by whether the particular Bt produces a protein
that can bind to a larval gut receptor, thereby causing the insect larvae to
starve
(2) Plant-Incorporated-Protectants
(PIPs) are pesticidal substances that plants produce from
genetic material that has been added to the plant. For example, scientists can
take the gene for the Bt pesticidal protein, and introduce the gene into the
plant's own genetic material. Then the plant, instead of the Bt bacterium, manufactures
the substance that destroys the pest.
(3) Biochemical pesticides are naturally occurring substances that control pests by non-toxic
mechanisms. Conventional pesticides, by contrast, are generally synthetic
materials that directly kill or inactivate the pest. Biochemical pesticides
include substances, such as insect sex pheromones, that interfere with mating,
as well as various scented plant extracts that attract insect pests to traps.
Because it is sometimes difficult to determine whether a substance meets the
criteria for classification as a biochemical pesticide.
Pest Types
Pesticides that are related because they address the same type of
pests include:
Algicides
Control algae in lakes, canals, swimming
pools, water tanks, and other sites.
Antifouling agents
Kill or repel organisms that attach to
underwater surfaces, such as boat bottoms.
Kill microorganisms (such as bacteria and
viruses).
Attractants
Attract pests (for example, to lure an
insect or rodent to a trap). (However, food is not considered a pesticide when
used as an attractant.)
Biopesticides
Biopesticides are certain types of
pesticides derived from such natural materials as animals, plants, bacteria,
and certain minerals.
Biocides
Kill microorganisms.
Disinfectants and sanitizers
Kill or inactivate disease-producing
microorganisms on inanimate objects.
Fungicides
Kill fungi (including blights, mildews,
molds, and rusts).
Fumigants
Produce gas or vapor intended to destroy
pests in buildings or soil.
Herbicides
Kill weeds and other plants that grow where
they are not wanted.
Insecticides
Kill insects and other arthropods.
Miticides (also called acaricides)
Kill mites that feed on plants and animals.
Microbial pesticides
Microorganisms that kill, inhibit, or out
compete pests, including insects or other microorganisms.
Molluscicides
Kill snails and slugs.
Nematicides
Kill nematodes (microscopic, worm-like organisms
that feed on plant roots).
Ovicides
Kill eggs of insects and mites.
Pheromones
Biochemicals used to disrupt the mating
behavior of insects.
Repellents
Repel pests, including insects (such as
mosquitoes) and birds.
Rodenticides
Control mice and other rodents.
The term pesticide also includes these substances:
Defoliants
Cause leaves or other foliage to drop from
a plant, usually to facilitate harvest.
Desiccants
Promote drying of living tissues, such as
unwanted plant tops.
Insect growth regulators
Disrupt the molting, maturity from pupal
stage to adult, or other life processes of insects.
Plant growth regulators
Substances (excluding fertilizers or other
plant nutrients) that alter the expected growth, flowering, or reproduction
rate of plants.
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