ENVS 3020 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: The Dilemma, Environmental Health, Neonicotinoid
26 Jun 2020
School
Department
Course
Professor
Document Summary
When thinking about pesticides, the names ddt, neonicotinoid, glyphosate and atrazine might come to mind, unsurprising given the historical significance of ddt and the recent media attention to the others. Pesticides are substances, products or organisms intended to kill, control or prevent pests. Pests are living organisms that are present in places or in large enough numbers to cause them to be unwanted, a nuisance or damaging to plants, humans or other animals and include insects, rodents, fish and weeds. Pesticides are named after the type of pest targeted and using these examples, would be insecticides, rodenticides, piscicides and herbicides, respectively. Pesticides may be classified as synthetic (conventional), for example glyphosate, or natural. The latter are called biopesticides and are derived from natural sources including microbes, plants, animals and minerals. Examples of biopesticides are capsaicin extracted from chilli peppers, insect sex pheromones and vinegar.
