BIOCHEMICAL AND HISTOPATHOLOGICAL STUDIES ON THE TOXICITY OF ETHION

A fundamental contributor to the green revolution has been the development and application of pesticides for the control of wide variety of insectivorous and herbivorous pests which would otherwise diminish the quantity and quality of food products. The use of pesticides coincides with the ¿chemical age¿ which has been transformed the society since 1950s. In the areas where intensive monoculture is practiced, pesticides are used as a standard method for pest control. Unfortunately, with the merits of chemistry, pesticides have also on the contrary some demerits which are so deleterious that they now threaten the long-term survival of major ecosystems by disruption of predator-prey relationships and loss of biodiversity. Moreover, pesticides can pose significant human health hazards.