Pesticide
hideA pesticide is a substance or mixture of substances used to kill a pest. A pesticide is any substance or mixture of substance intended for: - preventing, destroying, repelling or mitigating any pest. A pesticide may be a chemical substance, biological agent (such as a virus or bacteria), antimicrobial, disinfectant or device used against any pest. Pests include insects, plant pathogens, weeds, molluscs, birds, mammals, fish, nematodes (roundworms), microbes and people that destroy property, spread or are a vector for disease or cause a nuisance. Although there are benefits to the use of pesticides, there are also drawbacks, such as potential toxicity to humans and other animals. FAO has defined the term of pesticide as:
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News tagged with pesticides
Even at sublethal levels, pesticides may slow the recovery of wild salmon populations
Dec 16, 2009 |
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Biologists determined that short-term, seasonal exposure to pesticides in rivers and basins may limit the growth and size of wild salmon populations. In addition to the widespread deterioration of salmon habitats, these findings ...
Researchers Reveal That Environmentally Devastating Zebra Mussels Can Be Controlled
Dec 14, 2009 |
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Cloaked in a delicate brown and cream striped shell and measuring a mere inch in length, the zebra mussel certainly doesn’t look ominous. This tiny invasive species, however, has wreaked havoc in waterways ...
The future of organic ornamental plants
Dec 11, 2009 |
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Whether plants are grown for food or ornamental use, conventional agricultural production methods have the same environmental impact. Pesticides, herbicides, and chemical fertilizers can find their way into ...
Experts: Disease-resistant plants enhance profits, client satisfaction
Dec 11, 2009 |
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New varieties of plants marketed as "disease-resistant" or "insect-resistant" are becoming more accessible to consumers. Available through local garden centers and catalogues, these attractive ornamentals ...
Cultural Beliefs About Pesticides Put Mexican Farmworkers at Risk
Nov 05, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Chemical pesticides are among the tools farmers often use in managing insects dedicated to dining on our nation’s harvest. Pesticides, unfortunately, are not without risk to those who labor in the fields ...
An inexpensive 'dipstick' test for pesticides in foods
Chemistry / Analytical Chemistry
Nov 04, 2009 |
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Scientists in Canada are reporting the development of a fast, inexpensive "dipstick" test to identify small amounts of pesticides that may exist in foods and beverages. Their paper-strip test is more practical ...
Scientists examine how common pesticide mixes may affect bee die-offs
Oct 29, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Since reports of widespread bee die-offs began to surface in October 2006, researchers have investigated possible reasons ranging from hive-infecting mites to cell phone-tower radiation. They have yet to ...
Pesticides exposure linked to suicidal thoughts
Medicine & Health / Psychology & Psychiatry
Oct 22, 2009 |
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A new study in China has found that people with higher levels of pesticide exposure are more likely to have suicidal thoughts. The study was carried out by Dr Robert Stewart from the Institute of Psychiatry at King's College ...
Glacial melting may release pollutants in the environment
Oct 21, 2009 |
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Those pristine-looking Alpine glaciers now melting as global warming sets in may explain the mysterious increase in persistent organic pollutants in sediment from certain lakes since the 1990s, despite decreased ...
Changing smell of plants announces fungus attack
Oct 20, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Tomato plants under attack from the Botrytis fungus give off an aromatic substance that can be measured in greenhouses. This is the result of research performed by Roel Jansen with which he ...
School drinking water contains toxins
Sep 25, 2009 |
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(AP) -- Over the last decade, the drinking water at thousands of schools across the country has been found to contain unsafe levels of lead, pesticides and dozens of other toxins.
Fungus enhances susceptibility of resistant malaria mosquito to pesticides
Sep 24, 2009 |
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In areas where malaria mosquitoes have become resistant to chemical pesticides, mosquito-killing fungi can be an effective tool. Fungal spores can effectively infect and kill malaria mosquitoes, even those that are resistant ...
House-infesting brown dog tick becoming resistant to common pesticides, experts say
Sep 23, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- It's bad enough that the Southeast is bedeviled by a tick that doesn't mind taking up residence inside homes. But now researchers say they believe the brown dog tick has developed resistance ...
New computing tool could lead to better crops and pesticides say researchers
Sep 22, 2009 |
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A new computing tool that could help scientists predict how plants will react to different environmental conditions in order to create better crops, such as tastier and longer lasting tomatoes, is being developed ...
On-the-job pesticide exposure associated with Parkinson's disease
Medicine & Health / Neuroscience
Sep 14, 2009 |
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Individuals whose occupation involves contact with pesticides appear to have an increased risk of having Parkinson's disease, according to a report in the September issue of Archives of Neurology.
