The term pesticide includes many ingredients used in products such as insect repellents, rodent poison, weed killers, and swimming pool chemicals, as well as disinfectants, wood preservatives and plant growth regulators. These substances are designed to kill, repel, or otherwise control unwanted organisms. Pesticides play a large role in agriculture, industry, home/garden maintenance and public health, by supporting the ability to product many crops, commodities and services in the U.S. in an economic fashion. Of course, these benefits are balanced by potential risks to human health and the environment due to pesticide toxicity, potency, and persistence in the environment. For this reason, the chemicals are regulated.
Organophosphate pesticides affect the nervous system by disrupting the enzyme that regulates acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter. Most organophosphates are insecticides. They were developed during the early 19th century, but their effects on insects, which are similar to their effects on humans, were discovered in 1932. Some organiphosphates are very poisonous. They were used in World War II as nerve agents. However, they usually are not persistent in the environment.
Carbamate pesticides also affect the nervous system by disupting an enzyme that regulates acetylcholine. The effects are usually reversible. There are several subgroups within the carbamates.
Organochlorine insecticides were commonly used in the past, but many have been removed from the market due to their health and environmental effects and their persistence (e.g. DDT and chlordane).
Pyrethroid pesticides were developed as a synthetic version of the naturally-occurring pesticide pyrethrin, which is found in chrysanthemums. They have been modified to increase their stability in the environment. Some synthetic pyrethroids are toxic to the nervous system.
Dionex provides a wide range of solutions for the extraction and determination of pesticides.
