Pesticides and Aquatic Animals: A Guide to Reducing Impacts on Aquatic Systems

Authors: Louis A. Helfrich, Extension Specialist, Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences, Virginia Tech; Diana L. Weigmann, Director, Office of Science, Engineering, and Technology, Carson City, Nevada; Patricia Hipkins, Virginia Pesticide Programs, Department of Entomology, Virginia Tech; and Elizabeth R. Stinson, Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, Blacksburg, Virginia.

Publication Number 420-013, June 1996

Pesticides and Aquatic Animals: A Guide to Reducing Impacts on Aquatic Systems Terminology

acaricide:

A pesticide that controls mites and ticks.

active ingredient:

The ingredient in a pesticide product that controls or repels a pest.

acute toxicity:

The capacity of a chemical to cause death or injury from a single dose or exposure. LC50 is used to indicate the degree of acute toxicity for aquatic animals.

beneficial insects:

Insects that are useful to humans. For example, pollinators, pest predators, and pest parasites.

bioconcentrate:

The accumulation of a chemical in tissues of an animal at levels greater than in the environment.

biomagnify:

The increase in concentration of a chemical in animals at each succeeding level of the food chain.

dose rate:

Quantity of pesticide to which an animal is exposed, a measure of exposure.

exposure:

Contact with a pesticide.

fungicide:

A pesticide that controls fungi.

half-life:

The amount of time required for half of the pesticide residue to disappear from soil, water, plants, or animals.

herbicide:

A pesticide that controls plants or inhibits their growth.

insecticide:

A pesticide that controls insects.

label:

A legal document attached to the pesticide container, which is a binding agreement between the pesticide registrant, EPA, and the user.

Lethal Dose 50 (LD50):

The dose of a chemical that kills 50 percent of the group of test animals. It is usually expressed as milligrams of chemical per kilogram of body weight of the test animal.

Lethal Concentration 50 (LC50):

The concentration of a chemical in the diet or in the water that kills 50 percent of a group of test animals over a specified length of exposure.

necropsy:

A postmortem (after death) examination of an animal to determine the cause of death.

nematacide:

A pesticide that controls nematodes.

non-target organism:

Any animal or plant other than the intended target of a pesticide application.

persistence:

The length of time a pesticide remains in the environment. Usually expressed as the half-life (T1/2) of a chemical.

pesticide:

Any substance used for controlling, preventing, destroying, or repelling any pest.

pesticide formulation:

The ingredients, active and inactive (including solvents and propellants), in a pesticide.

rodenticide:

A pesticide that controls rodents.

sublethal exposure:

exposure to a pesticide at levels not causing direct mortality, but potentially resulting in reduced survival or reproductive success.

toxicant:

A poisonous substance capable of causing death or adverse effects to plants and/or animals.

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