Pesticide is a general term for substances that kill or control pests.
Pesticides include insecticides, herbicides, rodenticides, disinfectants, and sanitizers. Among fieldworkers, illness reports continued a downward trend that spans nearly a decade. In 1996, DPR identified 137 fieldworker illnesses with a confirmed or potential link to pesticide exposure. Fieldworker illnesses have averaged 157 a year from 1989 through 1996. That compares to an average of 282 fieldworker illnesses annually between 1982 and 1988.