Pesticides

Pesticides

Selective toxins designed to kill, deter, or control undesirable forms of target plant or animal life

Major Classes of Pesticides

Herbicides, Fungicides, Insecticide, Rodenticide, Piscicide, Fumigant/Sterilant

-icide suffix

To kill

Pesticide Demand

1. Herbicides

2. Insecticides

3. Nematicides

4. Fungicides

5. Plant Growth Reg

Insecticide

1. Pesticides that kill insects

2. Important for protection of plants

3. Reductions of human diseases and control of urban pests

4. Risk of environmental contamination

5. Classified by chemical class

Rachel Carson

A wildlife biologist whose 1962 book 'Silent Spring' raised public awareness about pesticide impacts on songbirds and ecosystems

Silent Spring

A seminal 1962 book highlighting ecological damage and bird population declines caused by widespread synthetic pesticide use

Chlorinated Hydrocarbons

First major group of modern Insecticides; Highly stable synthetic organochlorine insecticides characterized by long environmental half-lives and persistence

DDT, Lindane, MIREX

A chlorinated hydrocarbon insecticide banned due to bioaccumulation and eggshell-thinning reproductive toxicity in apex raptor birds

What are the characteristics of a “perfect“ pesticide?

Cheap, Persistent, Effective, Broad Spectrum

What are properties of a dangerous pesticide?

Cheap, Persistent, Effective, Broad Spectrum, Bioconcentration/Biomagnification

Bioconcentration

The process by which chemical concentrations increase within an organism relative to the surrounding environment

Biomagnification

The cumulative increase in chemical concentration at successively higher trophic levels of the food chain

Lipophilicity

A chemical property describing affinity for fats and lipids, making compounds prone to storing in animal fat tissue

Organophosphates (OPs)

A class of reactive neurotoxic pesticides containing phosphate groups (e.g., malathion, sarin gas) that inhibit acetylcholinesterase

Pyrethroids

Synthetic pesticides derived from natural insecticidal compounds found in chrysanthemum flowers

Glyphosate

The active herbicide ingredient in Roundup that inhibits essential aromatic amino acid synthesis pathways in plants

Integrated Pest Management (IPM)

A comprehensive strategy combining biological, physical, and minimal chemical controls to manage pests safely and economically