Difference between revisions of "Biocides"
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'''Biocides''' are poisons, chemical substances used to kill or sterilize unwanted life-forms. Biocides are commonly used in medicine, agriculture, forestry, food-processing and industry. Biocides may be synthetic or naturally derived and concentrated. | '''Biocides''' are poisons, chemical substances used to kill or sterilize unwanted life-forms. Biocides are commonly used in medicine, agriculture, forestry, food-processing and industry. Biocides may be synthetic or naturally derived and concentrated. | ||
+ | Biocides are usually intended to control a specific ecosystem interaction or class of interactions yet they usually have unintended consequences by killing populations: outside the targeted species, outside the targeted area and outside the targeted timeframe. Sometimes these unintended consequences are acute and immediately devastating, sometimes they are [[sub-acute]] and go relatively unnoticed. | ||
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[[Philosophy of control]](?) | [[Philosophy of control]](?) | ||
Revision as of 02:16, 10 January 2015
Biocides are poisons, chemical substances used to kill or sterilize unwanted life-forms. Biocides are commonly used in medicine, agriculture, forestry, food-processing and industry. Biocides may be synthetic or naturally derived and concentrated. Biocides are usually intended to control a specific ecosystem interaction or class of interactions yet they usually have unintended consequences by killing populations: outside the targeted species, outside the targeted area and outside the targeted timeframe. Sometimes these unintended consequences are acute and immediately devastating, sometimes they are sub-acute and go relatively unnoticed.
Types of Biocide
A biocide can target:
- Fungi, mold or yeast: fungicides,
- Plants: herbicides, algicides,
- Insects: insecticides, miticides
- Mammals: rodenticides.
- Microbes: germicides, antibiotics, antibacterials, antimicrobials, antivirals, antifungals, antiprotozoals and antiparasites
- Cells: spermicide, anti-cancer drugs