ABSTRACT
Poisonings with various kinds of pesticides account for about 10% of all deaths caused by solid and liquid sub stances-a small but significant percentage of acute human poisonings. Since the mid-1940s more than 15,000 compounds, representing more than 35,000 dif ferent formulations, have been used as pesticides. The term pesticide is a general term that classifies these sub stances on the basis of their actions rather than chemi cally; the term encompasses insecticides, rodenticides, fungicides, herbicides, and fumigants. Because pesticides are manufactured for the purpose of destroying organ isms that are considered undesirable for one reason or another, it is not surprising that all pesticides are capable of producing harm to humans (1).