ABSTRACT
Exposure of the general population to synthetic pesticides occurs primarily through eating food and drinking water contaminated with pesticide residues. There is a relationship between exposure to pesticides and an elevated rate of chronic diseases, such as different types of cancers, diabetes and neurodegenerative disorders, birth defects, and reproductive disorders. Consequently, new tools or techniques with greater reliability than those already existing are needed to predict potential hazards of pesticides and thus contributing to the reduction of adverse effects. While chemical pesticides are neurotoxic to pests and often people, biopesticides use other modes of action, including mating disruption, anti-feeding, suffocation and desiccation. The growing of plants treated with biopesticides is producing crops that are better for people’s health and the planet. Farmers should use them as part of their Integrated Pest Management (IPM) programs so that they can rely less on higher-risk pesticides and effectively produce higher crop yield and quality with lower impact on the environment and human health. This chapter focuses on pesticide residues or pesticides found on the surface of grains, fruits and vegetables when they are purchased as groceries.
