ABSTRACT
This chapter highlights how science transitions into technology, and how risk is viewed within the paradigm of the conventional agricultural system, which is often at odds with how the public views risks associated with pesticides. It focuses on science's role in risk assessment and regulations, debates surrounding the impacts of pesticides on agriculture, farming communities, food safety, and the environment, and how pesticides are perceived by experts and the public. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) defines pesticides as chemicals used to prevent, kill, or repel pests. Synthetic pesticides are man-made pesticides developed in a laboratory, whereas inorganic compounds are pesticides made from naturally occurring minerals. With a shortage of materials, such as acetic acid, during World War I to manufacture pesticides, chemicals developed by the military were tested as pesticides and some, like paradichlorobenzene (PDB), were adopted to fight agricultural pests. The EPA groups conventional pesticides by intended use: agricultural, commercial/industrial/government, and household purposes.
