Title: Insecticides | Encyclopedia.com
Headings: Insecticides
Insecticides
Insecticides
History: yesterday and today
Nature of insecticices
Kinds of insecticides
Benefits of insecticide use
Damages caused by insecticide use
KEY TERMS
Resources
BOOKS
OTHER
Insecticides
Insecticides
Introduction
Kinds of insecticides
Benefits of insecticide use
Damages caused by insecticide use
Resources
books
periodicals
other
KEY TERMS
Bioconcentration
Broad-spectrum pesticide
Ecotoxicology
Food-web magnification
Non-target organism
Pest
Insecticides
Insecticides
Compounds Affecting Nerves
Compounds Affecting Muscles
Compounds Disrupting Energy Metabolism
Insect Growth Regulators
Toxins from Bacillus thuringiensis
Human Toxicity of Insecticides
Nonchemical Control Methods
Bibliography
Internet Resources
insecticide
insecticide
insecticide
insecticide

Content: In fact, it has been argued that pesticide use in North America could be decreased by one-half without causing much of a decrease in crop yields, while achieving important environmental benefits through fewer ecological damages. In fact, three European countries ( Sweden, Denmark, and the Netherlands) passed legislation in the 1990s, which required at least a 50% reduction in agricultural pesticide use by the year 2000. Similar actions have been proposed and adopted in North America in the 2000s. Because of the substantial benefits of many uses of pesticides, their use has increased enormously since the 1950s. For example, pesticide usage increased by ten-fold in North America between 1945 and 1989, although it leveled off during the 1990s and early-2000s. Pesticide usage (including insecticides) is now a firmly integrated component of the technological systems used in modern agriculture, forestry, horticulture, and public-health management in most parts of the world. Damages caused by insecticide use
The considerable benefits of many uses of insecticides are partially offset by damages caused to ecosystems and sometimes to human health. Each year about one million people are poisoned by pesticides (mostly by insecticides), including 20,000 fatalities. Although developing countries only account for about 20% of global pesticide use, they sustain about one-half of the poisonings. This result is because highly toxic insecticides are used in many developing countries, but with poor enforcement of regulations, illiteracy, and inadequate use of protective equipment and clothing.