ABSTRACT
Approximately 888 million pounds of conventional pesticides (excluding chlorine
disinfectants, specialty biocides) are used annually in the United States (2). An additional
800 million pounds of wood preservatives are used annually (2). Approximately 78% are
used in agriculture; 10% in homes and gardens; and the remainder in government,
commercial or industrial applications. Herbicides constitute the bulk of conventional
pesticides used (44%), and insecticides (10%), fungicides (6%) and other insecticides
(40%) make up the remainder (2). In 2001, approximately 73 million pounds of
organophosphorus (OP) insecticides were used annually (2). Although some agricultural
uses of OP insecticides were restricted in 2001, overall use in this sector has not changed in
recent years. As a percentage of total insecticide use, OP insecticide use increased from 58
to 70% between 1980 and 2001 (2). However, residential uses of chlorpyrifos and
diazinon, two common OP insecticides, were eliminated in 2001 and 2002, respectively
(3), although they remain widely used in agriculture. Malathion and acephate remain
widely used residential OP insecticides. Carbamate insecticides also are used widely in
both residential and agricultural applications. Synthetic pyrethroids, and to some extent
nicotinyl insecticides, have largely replaced residential uses of OP insecticides and are
now the dominant class of insecticides used in homes and gardens (4).
