The term “pesticides” is often associated in people’s minds with products used in agriculture to control weeds or protect crops from insects and moulds. However, this term actually includes different types of products used for a wide variety of uses in a professional context – maintenance of roads, airports and railways, parks and public gardens, cemeteries; rat or disinsectization operations – or in our daily environment – fight against insects at home, weeding of paths, protection of plants in the garden, fight against parasites of our pets such as fleas or ticks…. This animation aims to illustrate some of these uses at home.
Multiple routes of exposure
Because of this frequent confusion between pesticides and phytopharmaceuticals, it is often thought that exposure to pesticides comes down to their mere presence in foodstuffs or drinking water. However, the routes of exposure to these products are multiple. They are present in all compartments of our environment and domestic use contributes to overall exposure to these products.
While agriculture consumes a large proportion of the pesticides marketed each year in France, non-agricultural uses also contribute to the pollution of surface water by these products.
Pesticides are not trivial products, they must be used with caution and moderation! The recommendations and precautions for use that appear on the packaging must be scrupulously respected. They make it possible to guarantee the safety of consumers, users and workers as well as the preservation of the environment.