Contemporary Issues on Pesticide Safety

Abstract

At any given moment there are always new issues on pesticide safety. Some of those issues are forced by the society based on the emergence of new threats, the changing attitude of the general public or complaints by action groups representing special interests of certain sub-populations. Others are the results of new scientific discoveries, technological development and/or introduction of new compounds. In this paper an effort has been made to analyze some of the recent issues from the viewpoint of categorizing them into several major types of safety issues in order to clarify the reason behind those issues, and thereby to assist the process of achieving the balance of effective use of pesticides and their safety.

Insecticide‐induced hormesis and arthropod pest management

“…More than 50 years after the publication of Rachel Carson‧s Silent Spring , insecticides remain a major component of insect pest management and are still surrounded by controversy . However, changes in attitudes and policy over the use of pesticides against pest species have led to the development and use of insecticides with improved safety profiles towards human health and the environment …”

“…79,80 However, changes in attitudes and policy over the use of pesticides against pest species have led to the development and use of insecticides with improved safety profiles towards human health and the environment. 81,82 Insecticide applications leading to outbreaks of pest species were recognized as early as the early 1950s, following the onset of the large-scale use of organochlorine insecticides for arthropod pest control. 56,83 Since then, these outbreaks have been relatively frequent, particularly for broad-spectrum insecticides.…”

Host-Plant-Mediated Competition Via Induced Resistance: Interactions Between Pest Herbivores On Potatoes

“…Induced resistance clearly has important implications in agriculture where it is essential to elucidate factors influencing the density of pest herbivores, both for establishing accurate economic injury levels (Dively et al 1995), and ultimately for the development of biorational pest management programs that may involve chemical elicitors (Thaler 1999a(Thaler , 2002. The prevalence of insecticide resistance and the concern over excessive use of pesticides in the environment demand a better understanding of pest dynamics in agricultural systems and the development of novel control approaches (Noronha et al 2001, Matsumura 2004. One of the most notable cases of insecticide resistance has occurred with the Colorado potato beetle (Forgash 1985), a major pest of potatoes throughout North America (Ferro 1985, Forgash 1985, Hare 1990, Roush et al 1990, Weber and Ferro 1994.…”

Determination of diflubenzuron and chlorbenzuron in fruits by combining acetonitrile‐based extraction with dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction followed by high‐performance liquid chromatography

“…Benzoylurea insecticides (BUs) are powerful insect growth regulators that can control the development, reproduction and metamorphosis of target insects by interfering with the normal activity of their endocrine system [1]. Since their introduction, BUs have been widely used to prevent and treat insects in modern agriculture because of their attractive properties, such as insecticidal activities, tremendous selectivity, rapid degradation and low mammalian toxicity [2]. However, the presence of pesticide residues in foods resulting from the widespread use of BUs could lead to chronic exposure and long-term toxicity effects.…”