ABSTRACT
Role of pesticides in public health The public health entomologist is the main resource person in a health department concerning pests, pest control, and pesticides. Accordingly, he or she should be knowledgeable about the subject. Health officials generally recognize that pesticides are important public health tools. Technically, they are defined as chemical substances intended to prevent, destroy, or repel pests. The term pesticide is usually further subdivided into more specific terms, such as fungicide (kills fungus), herbicide (kills plants), acaricide (kills mites and ticks), avicide (kills birds), etc. Pesticides may be either synthetic chemicals or naturally occurring substances such as certain inorganic dusts, bacterial toxins, or plant derivatives.
