Endocrine Disruption

TEDX, the Endocrine Disruption Exchange, has a valuable page on pesticides and their dangers. You can find it here: http://endocrinedisruption.org/pesticides/introduction

From TEDX: "Our particular concern about pesticides is that they have been designed to disrupt biological systems, causing death to target organisms, such as insects or plants. Some actually work by acting on the hormone systems of insects and plants. The problem is that the biochemistry of most living things is similar enough that humans, wildlife and plants can also be adversely affected by pesticides."

Glossary of Terms, from TEDX

Attractant – attracts an organism, such as an insect

Acaricide – used to kill mites

Active ingredient –in a pesticide, the ingredient that kills or controls the pest.

Algicide – used to kill algae

Antifoulant – used to prevent barnacles and other organisms from colonizing ship hulls, etc.

Avicide – used to kill birds

Bactericide – used to kill bacteria

Chemosterilant – causes reproductive sterility in an organism

Growth regulator – acts as a plant or insect hormone that regulates growth

Herbicide – used to kill plants

Inert – in pesticides, a chemical whose primary function is other than that of an active ingredient

Insecticide – used to kill insects

Fungicide – used to kill fungi and mold

Molluscicide – used to kill mollusks (snails, slugs, mussels, etc.)

Nematicide – used to kill nematode worms

Pediculicide – used to kill lice

Pheromone – signals other organisms of the same species and affects their behavior

Piscicide – used to kill fish

Repellent – repels an organism, such as an insect

Rodenticide – used to kill rodents (rats and mice, etc.)

Safener – reduces the effects of a pesticide on non-target organisms

Synergist – makes the active ingredient more effective than it would be by itself

Virucide – used to kill viruses