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As
herbicides
Herbicides (, ), also commonly known as weed killers, are substances used to control undesired plants, also known as weeds.EPA. February 201Pesticides Industry. Sales and Usage 2006 and 2007: Market Estimates. Summary in press releasMain page f ...
are
pesticide
Pesticides are substances that are used to control pests. They include herbicides, insecticides, nematicides, fungicides, and many others (see table). The most common of these are herbicides, which account for approximately 50% of all p ...
s used to kill unwanted
plant
Plants are the eukaryotes that form the Kingdom (biology), kingdom Plantae; they are predominantly Photosynthesis, photosynthetic. This means that they obtain their energy from sunlight, using chloroplasts derived from endosymbiosis with c ...
s, silvicides are special pesticides (
cacodylic acid
Cacodylic acid is an organoarsenic compound with the formula (CH3)2 AsO2H. With the formula R2As(O)OH, it is the simplest of the arsinic acids. It is a colorless solid that is soluble in water.
Neutralization of cacodylic acid with base gives ca ...
or
MSMA, for instance) used to kill
brush
A brush is a common tool with bristles, wire or other filaments. It generally consists of a handle or block to which filaments are affixed in either a parallel or perpendicular orientation, depending on the way the brush is to be gripped during u ...
and
trees
In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, e.g., including only woody plants with secondary growth, only p ...
. They can wipe out entire forests or specific, unwanted forest species.
See also
*
Bioherbicide
Bioherbicides are herbicides consisting of phytotoxins, pathogens, and other microbes used as biological weed control. Bioherbicides may be compounds and secondary metabolites derived from microbes such as fungi, bacteria or protozoa; or phytotox ...
*
Deforestation
Deforestation or forest clearance is the removal and destruction of a forest or stand of trees from land that is then converted to non-forest use. Deforestation can involve conversion of forest land to farms, ranches, or urban use. Ab ...
*
List of environmental health hazards
*
Soil contamination
Soil contamination, soil pollution, or land pollution as a part of land degradation is caused by the presence of xenobiotic (human-made) chemicals or other alteration in the natural soil environment. It is typically caused by industrial activit ...
*
Surface runoff
Surface runoff (also known as overland flow or terrestrial runoff) is the unconfined flow of water over the ground surface, in contrast to ''channel runoff'' (or ''stream flow''). It occurs when excess rainwater, stormwater, meltwater, or other ...
References
Further reading
* Allard, J. (1974) ''Arsenical silvicide effects on human health''. See Norris, L.A. (1974a). p 4.
* Tarrant, R.F. and Allard, J. (1972) Arsenic levels in urine of forest workers applying silvicides. Arch. Envir. Health 24:277-280.
External links
;General Information
National Pesticide Information Center Information about pesticide-related topics
National Agricultural Statistics Service
;Regulatory policy
US EPAUK Pesticides Safety DirectoratepmraPest Management Regulatory Agency
The Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) is the Canadian government agency responsible for the regulation of pest control products in Canada under the federal authority of the '' Pest Control Products Act'' and Regulations. The agency is a bra ...
of Canada
{{Herbicides
Herbicides