A pesticide is any substance or mixture of substances intended for preventing, destroying, repelling, or mitigating any pest. Pesticide is a general term which includes such things as insecticides, herbicides, fungicides, rodenticides, fumigants, disinfectants and plant growth regulators. Thousands of pesticide products have been manufactured in the United States over the past 100 years. Many of these pesticides are no longer in use because of their toxic effects. However, hundreds of synthetic pesticides have been approved and are being used throughout the nation.
Pesticides can have potential health concerns for humans, animals and the overall environment.
In low concentrations, pesticides can be toxic to fish. Research is being conducted to determine if pesticides in low concentrations affect the endocrine systems of humans. In Idaho, there are over 19,000 crop farms covering approximately 6.3 million acres. Some of these pesticides have great potential for contaminating surface and ground water. If used or stored incorrectly, all of them have the potential to contaminate water.