Có ít nhất 600 loại thuốc trừ sâu khác nhau trong sử dụng và đến công thức thuốc trừ sâu có thể bao gồm một hoặc nhiều thuốc trừ sâu như các thành phần hoạt động (ai). Thuốc trừ sâu bao gồm một loạt các các hợp chất hóa học khác nhau, từ các chất vô cơ như nguyên tố lưu huỳnh và chromated arsenate đồng, các hợp chất hữu cơ dễ bay hơi (VOC) như methyl bromide và paradichlorobenzene, các hợp chất hữu cơ semivolatile (SVOCs) như diazinon và chlorpyrifos, và không bay hơi các hợp chất hữu cơ (NVOCs) như 2,4-D. | 15 Exposure to Pesticides Robert G. Lewis . Environmental Protection Agency ret. CONTENTS Pesticide Residential and Commercial Building Air Monitoring House Dust Sampling Contact-Dislodgeable Residue Monitoring Handwipe Occurrence Sources Fate and Transport in the Indoor Exposure Risks and Health SYNOPSIS There are at least 600 different pesticides in use and 45 000 to 50 000 pesticide formulations that may include one or more pesticides as active ingredients . . Pesticides consist of a wide variety of chemical compounds ranging from inorganic substances such as elemental sulfur and chromated copper arsenate volatile organic compounds VOCs such as methyl bromide and paradichlorobenzene semivolatile organic compounds SVOCs such as diazinon and chlorpyrifos and nonvolatile organic compounds NVOCs such as 2 4-D and permethrin. In the United States the Environmental Protection Agency USEPA is responsible for registering new pesticides and reviewing existing pesticides for re-registration to avoid unreasonable risks to human health and the environment. Potential human risks include acute short-term reactions such as toxic poisoning or skin and eye irritation as well as possible chronic long-term effects such as cancer birth defects or reproductive system disorders. The Food Quality Protection Act FQPA sets tolerances for all pesticides residues in food based on a reasonable certainty that they will do no harm to human health but it also requires the USEPA to consider all routes of exposure when setting these tolerances. Conventional pesticides made up 18 of the total pesticide usage in the United States in 1999 far behind that for chlorine and hypochlorites at 52 . Wood preservatives accounted for 16 of the quantity used while specialty biocides and commodity .
