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Types And Classes Of Insecticides: Natural, Systemic, Inorganic And Organic Insecticides
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Published: November 22, 2006
Insecticides simultaneously are a blessing and a curse to the modern world.
They are seemingly everywhere: in agriculture, everyday household items, medicines and industrial products. Insecticides are used to destroy all types of insects in every stage of development.
The composition of these insecticides includes many heavy metals, such as lead, mercury, cadmium and arsenic. While they are extremely effective at destroying insects, they also can be toxic and deadly to humans.
Heavy metals are classified on the periodic table of elements as any of the elements with a high atomic weight. This means they look and act like metals at room temperature. Metals are defined as any lustrous, ductile and malleable conductor of electricity. Of the 105 elements on the periodic table, 80 are considered metals.
In small amounts heavy metals are not dangerous; living creatures need a certain amount of metal in their systems in order to survive. Heavy metals become deadly in large quantities because, once they are absorbed into a living system, heavy metals displace necessary metals and are not easy to remove. Once there is an overload of heavy metals in a living body, the deadly effects include organ failure, cancer and death. In most insecticides, the concentration of heavy metals is not immediately toxic to humans. It takes prolonged exposure before any harmful effects can manifest in a human. In an insect, however, death is instantaneous.
There are different types of insecticides presently available on the market. The most important ones are agricultural and domestic insecticides. In agricultural and domestic insecticides, several different classes exist: systemic, contact, natural, inorganic and organic.
There are a few significant differences between each type of insecticide. These differences are not only in composition, but the method in which they are used. In the agricultural industry, systemic insecticides are applied to the entire plant system with the necessary chemicals, which typically contain a concentrated amount of heavy metals. The insects then feed from the plant and are poisoned.
Similar to systemic insecticide, the agricultural industry uses contact insecticides by treating the plant. Unlike systemic insecticides, contact insecticides do not need to be ingested. These insecticides, also laden with heavy metals, are applied to crops using aerosol distribution in the form of a crop duster or another similar device.
Natural insecticides, like nicotine and pyrethrum, are derived from the natural defense mechanisms of plants like tobacco. Inorganic insecticides are manufactured from arsenates and other heavy metals. The most effective inorganic insecticides carry a large amount of concentrated heavy metals. Finally there are organic insecticides, the most widely-used and readily-available of all insecticides, which are composed of synthetic chemicals.
Insecticides are a double-edged sword in the modern world. Their results are necessary in the agricultural industry to yield high crops, but overexposure can cause severe illnesses to humans. The heavy metals used in insecticides are both the problem and the solution. As science and technology develops in the insecticide industry, finding the right balance is the continuing challenge.
Sources:
Safety and Health Topics: Heavy Metals. 2006. U.S. Department of Labor- Occupational Safety and Health Administration http://www.osha.gov. October 4, 2006.
HighBeam Encyclopedia. Insecticides. 2006. HighBeam Research Inc. http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-insectic.html. October 4, 2006.
They are seemingly everywhere: in agriculture, everyday household items, medicines and industrial products. Insecticides are used to destroy all types of insects in every stage of development.
The composition of these insecticides includes many heavy metals, such as lead, mercury, cadmium and arsenic. While they are extremely effective at destroying insects, they also can be toxic and deadly to humans.
Heavy metals are classified on the periodic table of elements as any of the elements with a high atomic weight. This means they look and act like metals at room temperature. Metals are defined as any lustrous, ductile and malleable conductor of electricity. Of the 105 elements on the periodic table, 80 are considered metals.
In small amounts heavy metals are not dangerous; living creatures need a certain amount of metal in their systems in order to survive. Heavy metals become deadly in large quantities because, once they are absorbed into a living system, heavy metals displace necessary metals and are not easy to remove. Once there is an overload of heavy metals in a living body, the deadly effects include organ failure, cancer and death. In most insecticides, the concentration of heavy metals is not immediately toxic to humans. It takes prolonged exposure before any harmful effects can manifest in a human. In an insect, however, death is instantaneous.
There are different types of insecticides presently available on the market. The most important ones are agricultural and domestic insecticides. In agricultural and domestic insecticides, several different classes exist: systemic, contact, natural, inorganic and organic.
There are a few significant differences between each type of insecticide. These differences are not only in composition, but the method in which they are used. In the agricultural industry, systemic insecticides are applied to the entire plant system with the necessary chemicals, which typically contain a concentrated amount of heavy metals. The insects then feed from the plant and are poisoned.
Similar to systemic insecticide, the agricultural industry uses contact insecticides by treating the plant. Unlike systemic insecticides, contact insecticides do not need to be ingested. These insecticides, also laden with heavy metals, are applied to crops using aerosol distribution in the form of a crop duster or another similar device.
Natural insecticides, like nicotine and pyrethrum, are derived from the natural defense mechanisms of plants like tobacco. Inorganic insecticides are manufactured from arsenates and other heavy metals. The most effective inorganic insecticides carry a large amount of concentrated heavy metals. Finally there are organic insecticides, the most widely-used and readily-available of all insecticides, which are composed of synthetic chemicals.
Insecticides are a double-edged sword in the modern world. Their results are necessary in the agricultural industry to yield high crops, but overexposure can cause severe illnesses to humans. The heavy metals used in insecticides are both the problem and the solution. As science and technology develops in the insecticide industry, finding the right balance is the continuing challenge.
Sources:
Safety and Health Topics: Heavy Metals. 2006. U.S. Department of Labor- Occupational Safety and Health Administration http://www.osha.gov. October 4, 2006.
HighBeam Encyclopedia. Insecticides. 2006. HighBeam Research Inc. http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-insectic.html. October 4, 2006.
