ABSTRACT
Pesticides refer to any chemicals intended to prevent, deter, destroy, or otherwise impair the ability of pests to compete with desired organisms such as crops, animals, or humans. A pest, in turn, is any organism-plant, animal, or microorganism-that is destructive or troublesome or living where it is unwanted. Pesticides can be classi-¤ed in different ways, but classi¤cation based on the target is perhaps the most widely known, as the following examples indicate: insecticides, herbicides, fungicides, and rodenticides (Table 13.1). This chapter considers the chemistry, characteristics, and health effects of several representative groups of pesticides and herbicides. It then discusses several halogenated hydrocarbons that have become of much concern to us in recent years, including polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and dioxins.
