ABSTRACT
A large number of substances intended for preventing, destroying, repelling, or mitigating pests (insects, rodents, weeds, and a host of other unwanted organisms) are used in agriculture (1). Most of these chemical pesticides are not highly selective for their target pest but may be toxic to nontarget species, including humans. Several different classes of pesticides exist, with different uses, mechanisms, and, hence, toxic effects in nontarget organisms, and they are usually classified based on their target pest. As shown in Tables 107.1 through 107.3, the three major classes of pesticides are those of insecticides, herbicides, and fungicides, but there are also several other classes, such as rodenticides (Table 107.4), acaricides, or molluscicides. Within each class there are several subclasses, with substantially different chemical and toxicological characteristics.
