Title: Pesticides, Environmental Pollution, and Health | IntechOpen
Headings: Pesticides, Environmental Pollution, and Health
Pesticides, Environmental Pollution, and Health
By Arzu Özkara, Dilek Akyıl and Muhsin Konuk
Abstract
Keywords
chapter and author info
1. Introduction
1.1. Pesticides
2. Historical perspective
3. Classification of pesticides
3.1. Classification based on the mode of action
3.2. Classification based on the targeted pest species
3.3. Classification based on the chemical composition
4. Pesticide pollution
Figure 1.
Figure 2.
5. Effect of pesticides on health and the environment
5.1. How are we exposed to pesticides?
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Abstract
In recent years, people have been exposed to several types of substances with broad spectrum due to the rapidly evolving technology. One of these chemical substance groups are pesticides. Pesticides have been an essential part of agriculture to protect crops and livestock from pest infestations and yield reduction for many decades. Despite their usefulness, pesticides could pose potential risks to food safety, the environment, and all living things. Concern about the environmental impact of repeated pesticide use has prompted research into the environmental fate of these agents, which can emigrate from treated fields to air, other land, and water bodies. The importance of agricultural pesticides for developing countries is undeniable. However, the issue of human health and environmental risks has emerged as a key problem for these countries in accordance to a number of studies. In the last five decades, pesticide usages increased the quantity and improved the quality of food. However, with the increasing amounts of their usage, concern about their adverse effects on nontarget organisms, including human beings, has also grown. The purpose of this publication is to explain the nature of pesticides and their history, classification, risks, and effects on health and the environment.