ABSTRACT
Our present levels and methods of pesticide use present significant public health dangers and concerns. However, the abrupt and complete cessation of synthetic pesticide use is not without substantial costs of its own. Clearly, it is essential that all the costs and benefits—economic, environmental, and social/health—of pesticide use be considered when current and future pest control programs are being developed and evaluated. Our current methods of chemical pesticide use need to be reconsidered and evaluated with the public health effects and the related economic costs in mind, toward the goal of the development of sound, sustainable pest management practices that maximize the benefits of pesticide use while at the same time minimizing the adverse effects that pesticides can have on human health.
