Pesticide Applicator Core Study Guide
Practice Questions And Answers (Verified &
Updated) Pdf
What types of pesticide uses require the Ag Basic license - Correct Answer -Use of
general-use pesticides to produce plants or plant products intended for human
consumption as food, where the person applying the pesticides or the employer of the
person applying the pesticides derives $1,000 or more in annual gross income from the
sale of those commodities
-Food production applications include - Seed treatment through post harvest treatment
or washing with disinfectants prior to sale
What is a pesticide? - Correct Answer Any substance or mixture of substances intended
for:
-preventing,
-destroying,
-repelling, or
-mitigating
any pest
OR
Any plant regulator, defoliant or desiccant.
-Does not include fertilizers or nutrients
-Does not include beneficial organisms
-Does not include traps or mechanical means
Disinfectants (peroxides & bleaches)
Herbicides &Growth Regulators
Rat & mouse baits
Fungicides
Insecticides
Botanicals
Biological controls
Deer and rabbit repellents
Insect repellents
Plant incorporated protectants
-Bt corn has one or more Bacillus thuringiensis crystalline proteins engineered into it
What is a pest? - Correct Answer -Bacteria, viruses (germs)
-Fungi, plant diseases
-Weeds
-Insects, mites, etc.
-Birds
,-Deer, rodents, etc.
Using products not labeled as pesticides - Correct Answer Home chemistry is not
recommended by the BPC
-Many of the materials used seem "safe" because we eat them or use them on our skin
-Exposure routes may be different
- ie What we eat may not be safe to breathe
Use of products not labeled as pesticides
-Anyone applying products to commercial food crops that have not been properly
evaluated runs the risk of a food safety incident, illegal residues, and an embargoed
crop
What products are NOT pesticides? - Correct Answer -Insect parasitic nematodes
-Rodent or insect traps
=Beneficial insects or mites
Benefits of Pesticides - Correct Answer •Aesthetics
•Healthy saleable plants
•Bountiful harvest
•Nuisance or public heath pest control
Concerns with Pesticide Dependence Past, Present and Future - Correct Answer -Pest
resistance
-Environmental persistence
-Bioaccumulation: when a chemical accumulates in animal tissues
-Biomagnification: when an organism accumulates residues at higher concentrations
than the organisms they consume
-Misuse
-Secondary pest outbreaks
-Non-target/Beneficial organism effects
Pest Resurgence
However, during the 1970's it became obvious that relying completely on pesticides for
pest management could have some negative impacts.
It was noticed that when certain pesticides were used repeatedly, some pests were no
longer controlled by the pesticide. The pests had developed resistance to the chemical.
Since the 1970's, pest resistance has surfaced in weed species, plant pathogens and
insect pests. A prime example is the Colorado potato beetle which has developed
resistance to every major group of insecticides, making the older chemical compounds
nearly useless as pest management tools for Colorado potato beetle.
In her book Silent Spring, Rachel Carson discussed environmental concerns about the
stability and persistence of DDT and other chlorinated hydrocarbon insecticides.
DDT and its relative compounds were also found to be stored in fat cells of insects, fish,
birds, rodents and other animals. DDT didn't break down in fat cells. This is known as
bioaccumulation.
, Some organisms accumulate chemical residues in higher concentrations than those
found in their food source. This process is called biomagnification. For example,
invertebrates with pesticides in their tissues are eaten by fish, which are then eaten by
birds. The birds at the top of the food chain accumulate the highest concentration of
pesticide residues. Pesticides that bioaccumulate and biomagnify have been removed
from the marketplace.
How is Risk Determined? - Correct Answer Animal Testing
Risk and exposure
LD 50 and LC 50
-LD50 = the dose of a substance that kills 50% of a population of test animals
-measured in milligrams of toxicant per kilogram of body weight (mg/kg)
-LC50 = concentration of a substance in air, food or water that kills 50% of a test
population, measured in parts per million
Smaller LD 50= MORE toxic
LD50 and LC50 are laboratory experiments that measure the dose it takes to kill 50
percent of the test animals.
For example purposes, let's say we have three populations of laboratory rats. Through
oral exposure, we feed 100 rats each a particular dose of the toxicant and we have
three different groups. One group gets 100 mg/kg, another 10 mg/kg and the last group
1 mg/kg. After 24 hours the test rats are evaluated for any negative effect and the dead
rats are counted. The group of rats that has 50% of its group living and 50% dead was
fed the lethal dose 50. So this dose, 10mg/kg in this example, is the LD50 for that
chemical.
These studies are performed for skin and oral exposures and stated in LD50, lethal
dose 50. Inhalation is measured by putting a concentration in the air or water, so the
measure is the LC50 or lethal concentration for 50% of the test animals.
Eye toxicity studies are done as well.
So the scientists actually have a number for known dose for the LD50. The lower the
LD50 value the more toxic the product. You don't find the LD50 on the label, but EPA
sets the signal word based on LD50 values.
LD50 and LC50 have limitations because... - Correct Answer -they only measure death
rates, not less serious acute effects
-they do not translate directly to humans
-they only measure effects of a single exposure, not multiple exposures
-must also consider actual rates of application and the potential dose to which a person
could be exposed
One way to quickly assess the acute risk? - Correct Answer Read the label
Practice Questions And Answers (Verified &
Updated) Pdf
What types of pesticide uses require the Ag Basic license - Correct Answer -Use of
general-use pesticides to produce plants or plant products intended for human
consumption as food, where the person applying the pesticides or the employer of the
person applying the pesticides derives $1,000 or more in annual gross income from the
sale of those commodities
-Food production applications include - Seed treatment through post harvest treatment
or washing with disinfectants prior to sale
What is a pesticide? - Correct Answer Any substance or mixture of substances intended
for:
-preventing,
-destroying,
-repelling, or
-mitigating
any pest
OR
Any plant regulator, defoliant or desiccant.
-Does not include fertilizers or nutrients
-Does not include beneficial organisms
-Does not include traps or mechanical means
Disinfectants (peroxides & bleaches)
Herbicides &Growth Regulators
Rat & mouse baits
Fungicides
Insecticides
Botanicals
Biological controls
Deer and rabbit repellents
Insect repellents
Plant incorporated protectants
-Bt corn has one or more Bacillus thuringiensis crystalline proteins engineered into it
What is a pest? - Correct Answer -Bacteria, viruses (germs)
-Fungi, plant diseases
-Weeds
-Insects, mites, etc.
-Birds
,-Deer, rodents, etc.
Using products not labeled as pesticides - Correct Answer Home chemistry is not
recommended by the BPC
-Many of the materials used seem "safe" because we eat them or use them on our skin
-Exposure routes may be different
- ie What we eat may not be safe to breathe
Use of products not labeled as pesticides
-Anyone applying products to commercial food crops that have not been properly
evaluated runs the risk of a food safety incident, illegal residues, and an embargoed
crop
What products are NOT pesticides? - Correct Answer -Insect parasitic nematodes
-Rodent or insect traps
=Beneficial insects or mites
Benefits of Pesticides - Correct Answer •Aesthetics
•Healthy saleable plants
•Bountiful harvest
•Nuisance or public heath pest control
Concerns with Pesticide Dependence Past, Present and Future - Correct Answer -Pest
resistance
-Environmental persistence
-Bioaccumulation: when a chemical accumulates in animal tissues
-Biomagnification: when an organism accumulates residues at higher concentrations
than the organisms they consume
-Misuse
-Secondary pest outbreaks
-Non-target/Beneficial organism effects
Pest Resurgence
However, during the 1970's it became obvious that relying completely on pesticides for
pest management could have some negative impacts.
It was noticed that when certain pesticides were used repeatedly, some pests were no
longer controlled by the pesticide. The pests had developed resistance to the chemical.
Since the 1970's, pest resistance has surfaced in weed species, plant pathogens and
insect pests. A prime example is the Colorado potato beetle which has developed
resistance to every major group of insecticides, making the older chemical compounds
nearly useless as pest management tools for Colorado potato beetle.
In her book Silent Spring, Rachel Carson discussed environmental concerns about the
stability and persistence of DDT and other chlorinated hydrocarbon insecticides.
DDT and its relative compounds were also found to be stored in fat cells of insects, fish,
birds, rodents and other animals. DDT didn't break down in fat cells. This is known as
bioaccumulation.
, Some organisms accumulate chemical residues in higher concentrations than those
found in their food source. This process is called biomagnification. For example,
invertebrates with pesticides in their tissues are eaten by fish, which are then eaten by
birds. The birds at the top of the food chain accumulate the highest concentration of
pesticide residues. Pesticides that bioaccumulate and biomagnify have been removed
from the marketplace.
How is Risk Determined? - Correct Answer Animal Testing
Risk and exposure
LD 50 and LC 50
-LD50 = the dose of a substance that kills 50% of a population of test animals
-measured in milligrams of toxicant per kilogram of body weight (mg/kg)
-LC50 = concentration of a substance in air, food or water that kills 50% of a test
population, measured in parts per million
Smaller LD 50= MORE toxic
LD50 and LC50 are laboratory experiments that measure the dose it takes to kill 50
percent of the test animals.
For example purposes, let's say we have three populations of laboratory rats. Through
oral exposure, we feed 100 rats each a particular dose of the toxicant and we have
three different groups. One group gets 100 mg/kg, another 10 mg/kg and the last group
1 mg/kg. After 24 hours the test rats are evaluated for any negative effect and the dead
rats are counted. The group of rats that has 50% of its group living and 50% dead was
fed the lethal dose 50. So this dose, 10mg/kg in this example, is the LD50 for that
chemical.
These studies are performed for skin and oral exposures and stated in LD50, lethal
dose 50. Inhalation is measured by putting a concentration in the air or water, so the
measure is the LC50 or lethal concentration for 50% of the test animals.
Eye toxicity studies are done as well.
So the scientists actually have a number for known dose for the LD50. The lower the
LD50 value the more toxic the product. You don't find the LD50 on the label, but EPA
sets the signal word based on LD50 values.
LD50 and LC50 have limitations because... - Correct Answer -they only measure death
rates, not less serious acute effects
-they do not translate directly to humans
-they only measure effects of a single exposure, not multiple exposures
-must also consider actual rates of application and the potential dose to which a person
could be exposed
One way to quickly assess the acute risk? - Correct Answer Read the label
