ABSTRACT
Despite the significant increases in pesticide use in the US during the latter half of the twentieth century, crop damage from pests has actually increased. One of the major drawbacks of pesticide use is the tendency of pest populations to develop resistance to the very substances that are intended to control the populations. One of the most insidious risks posed by pesticides is the tendency of certain synthetic pesticides to mimic hormones, such as estrogen, in humans and wildlife. The problem of ecological risk from pesticide exposure is exacerbated by the tendency of certain pesticides to undergo a phenomenon known as bioaccumulation. In the past 20 years, a completely new suite of concerns has emerged regarding the use of pesticidal genetically modified organisms (GMOs). The concept of risk includes elements of hazard and exposure. GMOs present hazards and exposures that are different in both type and degree from the hazards and exposures presented by traditional environmental chemicals.
