Pesticides & Health effects of pesticides

Pesticides are designed to kill living organisms, and for that reason they are, by definition, poisons. While their intended purpose is to control pests such as insects, weeds, fungi, or feral animals, pesticides do not have the ability to distinguish perfectly between their targets and everything else in the environment. Because of this, they can harm people, animals, and ecosystems when exposure occurs.

Common and Dangerous Poisons

In biochemistry, a poison is defined as any substance—whether natural or synthetic—that can damage living tissue and cause harmful or even fatal effects in the human body. The way a poison enters the body is just as important as the substance itself. A chemical may be dangerous when swallowed, inhaled, absorbed through the skin, or injected directly into the bloodstream. Each route of exposure changes how quickly and severely the body is affected.