What two factors make up a pesticide hazard?

• A. Toxicity & Exposure
• B. Toxicity & Cost
• C. Exposure & Cost
• D. Formulation & Packaging

Answer: (A)

Pesticide hazard is determined by the combination of toxicity and exposure. Toxicity reflects how harmful the chemical could be if it enters a living system, inherent to the substance itself. Exposure is about how much contact people or the environment actually have with the pesticide, including the routes (dermal, inhalation, ingestion) and the amount encountered. Hazard rises when a chemical is highly toxic or when exposure is likely to be high, and it is greatest when both factors are present. For example, a very toxic product that people rarely contact may pose less hazard in practice than a less toxic product that is encountered frequently during handling or application. Costs or packaging alone don’t define hazard, and while formulation or packaging can influence how exposure occurs, the hazard itself is rooted in toxicity plus exposure.