Pesticidal action

Another negative consequence of pesticide use is that special means must be used to protect harvests from unwanted pesticide actions adsorbents, plant antidotes, microbiological detoxification means, etc. This does not only make agricultural production more expensive, but also increases the agricultural environment s exposure to chemicals, an altogether more serious consideration [3]. 

A report entitled Chemical Trespass was issued in May 2004 by the Pesticide Action Network (Schafer et al., 2006). It contained detailed analysis of 2000/01 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) OP urinary metabolite data and used published methods to estimate exposure levels to parent compounds from creatinine corrected urinary metabolite levels. They focused on chlorpyrifos and its metabolite 3,4,6-trichloro-2-pyridinol (TCP), and found that chlorpyrifos exposures for children ages 6-11 and 12-19 exceeded EPA s chronic population-adjusted dose (cPAD) by surprisingly wide margins. Geometric mean TCP levels were 3 to 4.6 times higher than the EPA-estimated safe dose, as shown in Fig. 14.2. The more heavily exposed children received daily doses more than ten times the safe level. 

Schafer, K. S., Reeves, M., Spitzer, S. and Kegley, S. E. (2006). Chemical Trespass Pesticides in Our Bodies and Corporate Accountability. Pesticide Action Network North America, San Francisco, California. 

Ferguson, H. Ecker, V. (1980) Insect Neurobiology and Pesticide Action (Neurotox 79) (Soe. Chem. Ind., London), pp. 375-382. 

If these conclusions are valid they have important implications for the design of tests to evaluate relative toxicity and also for structure/activity theories for example if the relationship between polarity and toxicity is strongly influenced by decay processes then it is important that these are given appropriate consideration in designing candidate compounds. The analysis presented above also gives a strong support for further pharmacodynamic studies of pesticide action... 

Table III. Physico-chemical properties favouring different of pesticide action types...

Soderlund, D.M., in "Insect Neurobiology and Pesticide Action (Neurotox)79 " Society of Chemical Industry London, 1980... 

Needham, P. H. Pulman, D. "Mechanism and Pesticide Action" American Chemical Society Washington, D. C., 1974 ACS Symposium Series No. 2, 80. 

Pesticide Action Network North America (PANNA). Online. Available HTTP (accessed 4 April 2003). 

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