California Department of Pesticide Regulation
People
often think pesticide means insecticide. Actually,
pesticide refers to not only insecticides but many
other kinds of chemicals. A pesticide is any substance
intended to control, destroy, repel, or attract a pest.
Any living organism that causes damage or economic loss
or transmits or produces disease may be the target pest.
Pests can be animals (like insects or mice), unwanted plants
(weeds), or microorganisms (like plant diseases and viruses).
Throughout
history, pests have caused problems. Dinosaurs may
be extinct but a prehistoric creature of another sort, the
cockroach, has been crawling the earth for 350 million years.
Diseases transmitted by insects, rodents and bacteria led
to epidemics of deadly diseases like bubonic plague and
yellow fever. Famines resulted when locusts, molds and other
pests destroyed crops. During Ireland's great potato famine
150 years ago, a third of the nation's population died.
It was caused by a fungus that pesticides can now control.
Pesticides
may be natural or synthetic. They may even be living,
pest-destroying organisms such as Bacillus thuringiensis.
Many household products also contain pesticides. They can
include toilet bowl cleaner, disinfectant, cleanser, mildew
remover, and ant and roach spray. Herbicides are pesticides
used to control weeds on lawns and along roadways, in parks
and other public areas. And, thanks to fungicides, food
today is virtually free of mold and other types of fungi. (Some fungi produce the most potent carcinogens yet discovered.)
People
have been using chemicals to fight pests since ancient times.
In the late 1940s, many new kinds of chemicals were discovered.
They helped increase crop yields dramatically and made available
plentiful grains and a bountiful variety of inexpensive
fruits and vegetables. However, during the 1960s, we became
aware that pesticide use had its costs. Concern increased
about potential health effects, environmental contamination,
and effects on wildlife. Some pests became immune to many
pesticides. This all led to stricter pesticide regulation
nationally and in California. In the 1980s and 1990s we
have seen more widespread use of biological, cultural, and
physical pest controls combined with judicious pesticide
use. The goal is to combine them in a way that minimizes
economic, health, and environmental risks.
Because
most pesticides are designed to be toxic to their target
pest -- and because any substance can be harmful
if used improperly -- pesticide use is strictly controlled.
Cal/EPA's Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) regulates
all aspects of pesticide sales and use, recognizing the
need to control pests, while protecting public health and
the environment and fostering reduced-risk pest management
strategies. The Department's strict oversight includes product
evaluation and registration, local use enforcement, environmental
monitoring, and residue testing of fresh produce.
Here
are some common kinds of pesticides:
Algicides
|
Control
algae in swimming pools, lakes, canals, and water
used
industrially or stored |
Attractants
|
Attract
pests (for example, lure an insect or rodent to a
trap). Pheromones are chemical sex attractants often
used to confuse mating behavior of insects. |
Biocides
|
Kill
microorganisms |
Disinfectants
and sanitizers |
Kill
or inactivate disease-producing microorganisms (bacteria,
viruses, etc.) on inanimate objects |
Fungicides
|
Kill
fungi (many of which can infect and cause diseases
in plants, animals, and people; examples of disease-causing
fungi: rusts, mildews, blights, and molds) |
Fumigants
|
Produce
gas or vapor intended to destroy insects, fungi, bacteria,
or rodents, used to disinfest interiors of buildings
as well as soil before planting |
Herbicides
|
Kill
weeds and other plants that grow where they are not
wanted |
Insecticides
|
Kill
insects and other "bugs" |
Miticides
|
Also
called acaricides, kill mites that feed on plants
and animals |
Microbials
|
Microorganisms
that kill, inhibit, or out compete pests, including
insects or other microorganisms |
Molluscicides
|
Kill
snails and slugs |
Nematicides
|
Kill
nematodes (microscopic, wormlike organisms that feed
on plant roots) |
Ovicides
|
Kill
eggs of insects and mites |
Repellents
|
Repel
pests, including birds and insects (for example, mosquitoes,
fleas or ticks) |
Rodenticides
|
Control
mice and other rodent pests |
The
term pesticide also includes related substances:
Defoliants
|
Cause
leaves or foliage to drop from a plant, usually
to facilitate harvest |
Desiccants
|
Promote
drying of living tissues--unwanted plant tops or insects,
for example |
Insect
growth regulators |
Disrupt
the action of insect hormones controlling molting,
maturity from pupal stage to adult, or other life
processes |
Plant
growth regulators |
Substances
(excluding fertilizers or other plant nutrients) that
alter the expected growth, flowering, or reproduction
rate of plants through hormonal rather than physical
action |
Disclaimer and Reproduction Information: Information in NASD does not represent NIOSH policy. Information included in NASD appears by permission of the author and/or copyright holder. More
NASD Review: 04/2002
California Environmental Protection Agency
DEPARTMENT OF PESTICIDE REGULATION
Phone: (916) 445-4300
http://www.cdpr.ca.gov |
1020 N Street, Room 100
Sacramento, CA 95814-5624
10/97 |
|