1. Pesticides and the Wirtzs, Part III: Communication and Dosing

2. How do we communicate our findings?

7. We can detect pesticides and communicate the findings,
but how much exposure is
too much?
What’s in the dose?

8. Why aren’t pesticides ‘one size fits all’?
Pharmaceuticals and Pesticides
In general terms:
What goes into developing a pharmaceutical drug?
What goes into developing a pesticide?
How are the two processes similar and different?
Why do some drugs, and some pesticides, require high repeated doses and others are
‘once and done’?

9. Dose-Response Analysis
Worksheet
Terms
LD50 : dose at which 50% of sample died
expressed as mg toxicant/ kg body weight
LC50 : concentration at which 50% of sample died
ED50 : dose where 50% of population showed response (usu. Referring to ‘positive’ outcome)
Threshold : highest dose where no response is seen

10. Risks & Choices, Center for Chemistry Education, Miami University (Ohio)

11. The Dose Makes the Poison
What do you think a dose-response curve curve would look like for a highly toxic pesticide? (Question C)

12. Exposure to Pesticides
Drifting pesticides likely to result in low dose, chronic exposure.
What is low-dose exposure?
What is chronic exposure? Acute exposure?
What are some of the health related outcomes that have been associated with pesticide exposure?
Pesticides and non-target species

13. Exposure
In Environmental Health we are interested in the health of PEOPLE, why do we tend to do toxicology studies in rats and mice?
Ethics
Conservation of mechanisms
Life span– 90 day sub chronic and 2yr chronic rodent assays covers entire life

14. Exposure and Health Outcomes
Bonnie Wirtz’s symptoms included shortness of breath
The article attributes the symptoms to pesticide exposure. From what you know, is this a valid assertion for the authors to make?
What other factors could be involved?
What other information do you need to know about the pesticides and how they work?