Thuốc trừ sâu là các chất hóa học hoặc sinh học dùng để kiểm soát cỏ dại, côn trùng, nấm, động vật gặm nhấm, vi khuẩn, và sâu bệnh khác. Chúng bảo vệ các cây lương thực và chăn nuôi, hộ gia đình kiểm soát sâu bệnh, thúc đẩy sản xuất nông nghiệp, và bảo vệ sức khỏe công cộng. Tầm quan trọng của thuốc trừ sâu đối với xã hội hiện đại có thể được tóm tắt bằng một tuyên bố được thực hiện bởi Norman E. Borlaug, người chiến thắng giải Nobel Hòa bình năm 1970: "Hãy để. | 11 Treatment of Pesticide Industry Wastes Joseph M. Wong Black Veatch Concord California . INTRODUCTION Pesticides are chemical or biological substances intended to control weeds insects fungi rodents bacteria and other pests. They protect food crops and livestock control household pests promote agricultural productivity and protect public health. The importance of pesticides to modern society can be summarized by a statement made by Norman E. Borlaug the 1970 Nobel Peace Prize winner Let s get our priorities in perspective. We must feed ourselves and protect ourselves against the health hazards of the world. To do that we must have agricultural chemicals. Without them the world population will starve 1 . However the widespread use of pesticides has also caused significant environmental pollution problems. Examples of these include the biological concentration of persistent pesticides . DDT in food chains and contamination of surface and groundwater used for drinking sources. Because they can affect living organisms pesticides are highly regulated in the United States to ensure that their use will be safe for humans and the environment. Recently the National Research Council s Committee on the Future Role of Pesticides in . Agriculture conducted a comprehensive study and concluded that although they can cause environmental problems chemical pesticides will continue to play a role in pest management for the foreseeable future. In many situations the benefits of pesticide use are high relative to risks or there are no practical alternatives 2 . This chapter deals with the characterization environmental regulations and treatment and disposal of liquid wastes generated from the pesticide industry. THE PESTICIDE INDUSTRY The pesticide industry is an important part of the economy. Worldwide and . pesticide sales in 1990 were expected to reach more than 20 billion and 6 billion respectively Chemical Week January 3 1990 . Usually the highest usage .
