**2. Types of pesticides and pesticide formulations**

#### **2.1 Types of pesticides**

Pesticides can be classified based on chemical classes, functional groups, mode of action, and toxicity. The active ingredients of most pesticides are either organic (contain carbon) or inorganic (minerals e.g. copper sulfate, ferrous sulfate, copper, lime, sulfur, etc.). Organic pesticides are hydrophobic and more complex than those of inorganic pesticides. Organic pesticides can be natural (produced from naturally available sources) or synthetic (artificially produced by chemical synthesis in factories). The major types of pesticides used in agriculture, forestry, landscape, medical and veterinary sectors are listed in **Table 1**.

#### **2.2 Pesticide formulations**

Pesticides are sold as formulated products. Pesticide formulations are a combination of one or more active ingredients (a.i.) and several inert ingredients. Active ingredients control the pests. The inert ingredients help in solubility and stability of the product. A ULV (Ultra Low Volume) formulation need specialized spray equipment and the Ready-to-Use formulations are already diluted and are appropriate for indoor or small areas, for example, aerosols (A), granules (G), and most baits (B) [1].

Most liquid formulations are diluted with water according to the label directions. The three main types of liquid formulations are solutions, suspensions, and emulsions. A true solution is a mixture that cannot be separated by a filter or other mechanical means while a suspension is an even mixture of very small solid particles throughout a liquid and an emulsion is a mixture of droplets of one liquid

**59**

Baits (B).

**Table 1.**

**3. Importance of pesticides**

*Pesticides and Human Health*

*DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.93806*

**ingredient**

synthetic

synthetic

synthetic

synthetic

synthetic

synthetic

synthetic

synthetic

synthetic

**Target pests**

importance Insect growth regulators Synthetic Disrupt the growth and reproduction of insect pests. IGR

species-specific.

importance

storages and hospitals

Plant growth regulators Synthetic Alter plants growth, e.g., induce or delay flowering

Biopesticides Natural Can be insecticides, fungicides or herbicides

Antimicrobials Synthetic Microbes (mostly bacteria) of medical and veterinary importance

Treated seeds Synthetic Seeds coated with an insecticide or fungicide or both to

Wood preservatives Synthetic Pesticides to protect wood from insect pests, fungus and other diseases

authorities

Insect (6-legged) pests of agricultural, forestry, landscape, medical and veterinary importance

medical and veterinary importance

forestry and landscape importance

Attract and trap male insects and are often

Algae growing on different surfaces, e.g., patios

Slugs and snails of agricultural, forestry and landscape

Rodents (mice, rats) in agriculture, landscape, building,

prevent damage from soil insect pests and fungus diseases

Any pesticides which have been proven safe for human and are exempt from registration by any regulatory

are species or genus specific.

Mites (8-legged) pests of agricultural, forest, landscape,

Fungal diseases (molds, mildews, rust) of agricultural,

Unwanted plants (weeds) of agricultural and landscape

**Type of pesticide Active** 

Insecticides Natural and

Miticides/acaricides Natural and

Fungicides Natural and

Herbicides Natural and

Pheromones Natural and

Algaecides Natural and

Molluscicides Natural and

Rodenticides Natural and

Minimum risk pesticides Natural and

in another liquid. Common Liquid Formulations are Emulsifiable Concentrate (E or EC), Solutions (S, CS), Emulsions in Water (EW), Flowables (F, L, or SC),

*Major types of pesticides used in agriculture, forestry, landscape, medical and veterinary sectors. (adopted from: National Pesticides Information Center at http://npic.orst.edu/ingred/ptype/index.html).*

as talc, clay, or ground corncobs. Common solid formulations include Granules (G), Wettable Powders (WP or W), Soluble Powder (SP or S), Water-Dispersible Granules (WDG) or Dry Flowables (DF Water-Soluble Bags/Packages (WSB) and

The United Nations population division estimates 9.7 billion people by the year 2050 and to feed them, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations estimates that an 80% increase in food production is necessary.

In dry formulations the active ingredient is on the surface of a solid carrier, such

Microencapsulated Pesticides (M or ME) and Aerosol (A).

*Emerging Contaminants*

endoplasmic reticulum.

**2.1 Types of pesticides**

**2.2 Pesticide formulations**

are discussed.

must be followed to avoid any health risks.

committee and the Pesticide Data Program of the United States Department of Agriculture have established pesticide maximum residue limits in edible food which

Pesticide exposures have been linked to the elevated incidence of human diseases such as cancers, Alzheimer, Parkinson, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, asthma, bronchitis, infertility, birth defects, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, autism, diabetes, and obesity, respiratory diseases, organ diseases and system failures. People who are exposed to pesticides are at a greater risk to develop various cancers including non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), leukemia, brain tumors, and cancers of the breast, prostate, lung, stomach, colorectal, liver, and the urinary bladder.

Pesticides cause genetic and epigenetic changes by involving various processes at cellular levels. Pesticides may be involved in endocrine disruption and induction of inflammatory signals which result in production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) causing oxidative stress. ROS disrupt the cellular functions of mitochondria and

Pesticides can be classified based on chemical classes, functional groups, mode of action, and toxicity. The active ingredients of most pesticides are either organic (contain carbon) or inorganic (minerals e.g. copper sulfate, ferrous sulfate, copper, lime, sulfur, etc.). Organic pesticides are hydrophobic and more complex than those of inorganic pesticides. Organic pesticides can be natural (produced from naturally available sources) or synthetic (artificially produced by chemical synthesis in factories). The major types of pesticides used in agriculture, forestry, landscape, medical

Pesticides are sold as formulated products. Pesticide formulations are a combination of one or more active ingredients (a.i.) and several inert ingredients. Active ingredients control the pests. The inert ingredients help in solubility and stability of the product. A ULV (Ultra Low Volume) formulation need specialized spray equipment and the Ready-to-Use formulations are already diluted and are appropriate for indoor or small areas, for example, aerosols (A), granules (G), and most

Most liquid formulations are diluted with water according to the label directions. The three main types of liquid formulations are solutions, suspensions, and emulsions. A true solution is a mixture that cannot be separated by a filter or other mechanical means while a suspension is an even mixture of very small solid particles throughout a liquid and an emulsion is a mixture of droplets of one liquid

This chapter covers different types, importance and modes of action of pesticides. Human exposure to pesticides and pesticide residues in food are also discussed. Finally, the impacts of pesticide exposure on human health with focus on the major chronic health effects (neurotoxic, genotoxic and carcinogenic, and reproductive effects) and recent findings regarding health effects associated with exposure to common types of pesticides, i.e., organochlorines, organophosphates, carbamates, pyrethroids and neonicotinoids insecticides, fungicides and herbicides

**2. Types of pesticides and pesticide formulations**

and veterinary sectors are listed in **Table 1**.

**58**

baits (B) [1].


#### **Table 1.**

*Major types of pesticides used in agriculture, forestry, landscape, medical and veterinary sectors. (adopted from: National Pesticides Information Center at http://npic.orst.edu/ingred/ptype/index.html).*

in another liquid. Common Liquid Formulations are Emulsifiable Concentrate (E or EC), Solutions (S, CS), Emulsions in Water (EW), Flowables (F, L, or SC), Microencapsulated Pesticides (M or ME) and Aerosol (A).

In dry formulations the active ingredient is on the surface of a solid carrier, such as talc, clay, or ground corncobs. Common solid formulations include Granules (G), Wettable Powders (WP or W), Soluble Powder (SP or S), Water-Dispersible Granules (WDG) or Dry Flowables (DF Water-Soluble Bags/Packages (WSB) and Baits (B).

## **3. Importance of pesticides**

The United Nations population division estimates 9.7 billion people by the year 2050 and to feed them, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations estimates that an 80% increase in food production is necessary.

This increase in production will come from an increase in yields of crops as well as a decrease of damage to crops due to pests. There are approximately 9000 species of insects/mites (14% loss), 50,000 species of plant pathogens (13% loss) and 8000 weeds species (13% loss) worldwide [2]. Without pesticide application the pest losses to fruits, vegetables and cereals would reach 78%, 54% and 32%, respectively. Pesticides are, therefore, indispensable in agricultural production and there will be a need for pesticide based pest control and food security in the future. Pesticides are also used to control vector-born infectious diseases such as Zika virus, Lyme disease, and rabies, household pests like cockroaches, bed bugs, and as repellents etc. More than 1000 active ingredients are used in pesticides around the world to ensure food safety and prevention from pests and the highest amount (~45%) is spent on herbicides followed by insecticides, fungicides, and other types of pesticides.
