PBHL 2102 Chapter 7: Chapter 7 Pesticides & Other Organic Chemicals
4 Mar 2017
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Document Summary
Until the middle of the 18th century, control of insects was accomplished by manually removing them or by using inorganic poisons that frequently were not very effective. Inorganic chemicals used in the past included compounds of sulfur, zinc, copper, mercury, lead, and arsenic. Aromatic compound- an organic molecule that contains a benzene ring. Persistent organic pollutants- toxic chemicals that adversely affect human health and environment around the world. They can be transported by wind and water. They persist for long periods of time in the environment and can accumulate and pass from one species to the next through the food chain. Volatile organic compounds- organic compounds that evaporate readily into the air. The golden age of discovery of insecticides occurred in the mid-1900s with the invention of neuroactive chemicals such as chlorinated hydrocarbons, organophosphates, methyl-carbamates, and pyrethroids. Around the middle of the 20th century use of the pesticide ddt was purported to have led a complete victory over harmful insects.
