Environmental Concerns
What are pesticides?
Pesticides are chemical or biological substances designed to kill, control or repel a variety of living organisms such as insects (insecticides), weeds (herbicides), mold or fungus (fungicides) and rodents (rodenticides). They are poisons. Pesticide products include active ingredients (chemical compounds designed to destroy or control the target organisms) and so-called "inert" ingredients, which are used as carriers for the active ingredients, to help dissolve them, to make them easier to apply or to preserve them. Some "inert" ingredients may also be poisons.
When pesticides are registered by the EPA, does this mean they are safe?
No, nor can anyone can give you that assurance. Pesticides are designed to destroy or control living organisms. All pesticides are associated with some risk of harm to human health or the environment. Scientists and regulators know too little about pesticides and people's exposure to pesticides to offer assurances about pesticide safety.
