Section 2

Pesticide Use Poses Potential Risks

A pesticide is any chemical product designed to kill a pest, including insects, weeds, fungi and rodents. In the broadest definition, pesticides also include antibacterial cleaning products and sanitizers, sometimes called germicides, but this course will focus on “the big four”:

• Insecticides kill insects.
• Herbicides kill weeds.
• Fungicides kill fungi.
• Rodenticides kill mice, rats and other rodents.

Pesticides are toxic by definition, although the level of toxicity to humans varies dramatically among pesticides. Pesticides are carefully regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and must be used according to EPA-approved label instructions. More information about the use of pesticides in an IPM program can be found in Module 5.

Pesticides and Health

There is a definite need to manage pests to reduce threats to human health and property. However, some pesticides traditionally used for controlling pests have raised other health-related concerns:

• Risks to the pesticide applicator associated with mixing and applying chemicals
• Risks to people, livestock and pets from direct exposure to pesticide residues
• Specific risks to chemically sensitive individuals
• Uncertainty about long-term health effects of pesticide exposure

For example, traditional pest control programs in schools and hospitals have often relied heavily upon the use of preventive residual insecticides. These products kill insects by contact, and they work by leaving a residue behind after treatment. The residue may last several days, weeks, or longer than a month, depending on the product and other factors.

Pesticide residues may pose risks for chemically sensitive people, the sick, the elderly, children or pets. Children must be given special consideration, because their metabolism, physiology, and behavior may put them at increased risk from pesticide exposure.

In addition, pesticide drift, environmental pollution, effects on beneficial organisms, and the development of pesticide resistance have raised concerns about the use of pesticides in agriculture and in urban environments.

Those designing pest control programs must take these factors into account. Reducing the potential for pesticide risks, while maintaining effective pest control, is an important objective of any pest management program.