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Toxicology of insecticides
PESTICIDE
BIOCHEMISTRY
AND
PHYSIOLOGY
6,584-585
(1976)
Book Reviews Analytical Methods for Pesticides and Plant Growth Regulators, Vol. VIII, Government Regulations, Pheromone Analysis, Additional Pesticides. G. Zweig and J. Sherma, Editors, Academic Press, New York, 1976. .5lO pp. $46.50. This volume is one in a series which is not normally appropriate for review in this journal, for it deals with straightforward analytical chemistry of pesticides. However, Volume VIII contains in its 510 pages a section entitled “U. S. Government Regulations for Pesticide Uses with Special Emphasis on Analytical Chemical Aspects” which, in spite of its brevity (thirty pages), may be of particular interest to readers of this journal. The chapter, which is by Jacob Wolff, provides a review of the current methods of pesticide registration, the setting of tolerances, the relations between the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the implications of the 1972 Federal Environmental Pesticide Control Act. This reviewer approached the chapter with a great deal of interest, because many of the developments involved have occurred in such arcane places as the Federal Register, and it is useful to have a reliable and quotable source to tell us just what sort of restrictions the activities of pesticide designers and manufacturers will have to work within, as far as the U. S. A. is concerned, in the years just ahead. In particular, the chapter reminds us that pesticides have to be classified either as “general” or ?estricted” by October 1976, and thereafter the restricted pesticides may be used only under rather special circumstances. Restrictions of this sort must necessarily have an impact upon those of us involved in the development of new pesticides, whether we are from the university or industrial or government sector. As a bald statement of the provisions of the law, the chapter does a satisfactory job. However, the brevity of its treatment, coupled with the fact that a large portion of it simply represents quotations from the legislation, or single-paragraph descriptions of the formal responsibilities of specific federal agencies (USDA, EPA, U. S. Geological Survey, Bureau of Sport Fisher& and Wildlife, Public Health Service, etc.) results in an inadequate
portrayal of serious and complicated matters. For example, the final item is entitled “Outlook for the Future,” and is completed in two-thirds of a page (which begins, “the trend toward eliminating the use of chlorinated hydrocarbon pesticides will probably continue”), which necessarily gives remarkably little for us to chew on when contemplating the murky and unpredictable future. This particular chapter may therefore be worth reading for people (like this reviewer) who are involved in the overall problem of pesticide design, but are not so close to it as to be in touch with recent, legislative developments. But for those cognoscenti who have to keep close to the system, this chapt,er will add little which is new to them. 11.
Q 1976 by Academic Press, Inc. of reproduction in any form reserved.
O'BRIEN
of Neurobiology and Hchrroiot University New York 148.53
Toxicology of Insecticides. Fumio Matsumura, Plenum Press, New York, 1975. 503 pp. $27.50. According to the author, Toxicology of Insecticides was designed for use by graduate students and the general scientific community, rather than those already expert in the field. However, I judge that the potential audience is wider than this and I hat) the book will be of interest to many people (‘oncerned with insecticides, ~5 there are few who are expert in all of the aspects covered by the author. There are 11 chapters dealing with the economic. and legal aspects and patterns of insecticide ILS~. general principles of insecticide toxicology (i.e., toxicity evaluation and analytical procedures for trace amounts), insecticide characteristics (strutture, propertieu, mammalian toxicity, major uses), modes of action, metabolism by animals and plants, entry into animal systems, movement in the animal body, transformations in the environmenl (microbial metabolism and transformations by sunlight and other physical factors), effects on wildlife, and hazards to man and domestic animals. This is not a text of insect toxicology, so do not expect to find all the fundamentals that YOU may wish students to learn concerning interactions between insects and toxicants. As the author stat’es in 584
Copright All rights
D.
Section Cornell Ithaca,
BOOK
585
REVIEWS
the preface, “the necessity to provide coverage of the exceedingly diverse areas that contribute to research on insecticide toxicology” poses a major problem, which I believe he has handled quite well for the most part. In many chapters he has supplied the reader who wishes additional information on a particular subject with a list of textbooks and review articles, although in a few cases, i.e., resistance to insecticides, joint action of chemicals, and integument permeability and insecticide penetration, several excellent reviews have been omitted. In general, the time lag between manuscript completion and publication is considerable for textbooks; such appears to be the case here. There are very few post-1972 citations, and thus certain important developments are not included, particularly those relating to wildlife, environmental toxicology, and new chemical controls (e.g., juvenile hormone analogs and mimics and dimilin). The index is not as useful as it should be, in that there are incomplete listings for some subjects and other important subjects are not listed; e.g., there is no mention of
insecticide resistance or resistant insects, yet the chapter on metabolism contains numerous findings on the subject. These are minor criticisms, to be sure, and are greatly outweighed by the many valuable features of the book; it is unique, gives a fairly well-balanced treatment of a very broad field, is abundantly referenced (over 1200), and it provides a solid base for building with the many excellent reviews of individual subjects that have appeared as books, chapters, and journal articles. It is a textbook that was long overdue and will be greatly welcomed by students of insecticide toxicology, those who teach it, and many others who are interested in insecticides. Considering the plethora of information provided and the quality of the presentation, this book is an exceptional bargain. J. FORQASH Department of Entomology and Economic Zoology Rutgers--State University of Nevt Jersey New Brunswick, New Jersey 0890s ANDREW
BIOCHEMISTRY
AND
PHYSIOLOGY
6,584-585
(1976)
Book Reviews Analytical Methods for Pesticides and Plant Growth Regulators, Vol. VIII, Government Regulations, Pheromone Analysis, Additional Pesticides. G. Zweig and J. Sherma, Editors, Academic Press, New York, 1976. .5lO pp. $46.50. This volume is one in a series which is not normally appropriate for review in this journal, for it deals with straightforward analytical chemistry of pesticides. However, Volume VIII contains in its 510 pages a section entitled “U. S. Government Regulations for Pesticide Uses with Special Emphasis on Analytical Chemical Aspects” which, in spite of its brevity (thirty pages), may be of particular interest to readers of this journal. The chapter, which is by Jacob Wolff, provides a review of the current methods of pesticide registration, the setting of tolerances, the relations between the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the implications of the 1972 Federal Environmental Pesticide Control Act. This reviewer approached the chapter with a great deal of interest, because many of the developments involved have occurred in such arcane places as the Federal Register, and it is useful to have a reliable and quotable source to tell us just what sort of restrictions the activities of pesticide designers and manufacturers will have to work within, as far as the U. S. A. is concerned, in the years just ahead. In particular, the chapter reminds us that pesticides have to be classified either as “general” or ?estricted” by October 1976, and thereafter the restricted pesticides may be used only under rather special circumstances. Restrictions of this sort must necessarily have an impact upon those of us involved in the development of new pesticides, whether we are from the university or industrial or government sector. As a bald statement of the provisions of the law, the chapter does a satisfactory job. However, the brevity of its treatment, coupled with the fact that a large portion of it simply represents quotations from the legislation, or single-paragraph descriptions of the formal responsibilities of specific federal agencies (USDA, EPA, U. S. Geological Survey, Bureau of Sport Fisher& and Wildlife, Public Health Service, etc.) results in an inadequate
portrayal of serious and complicated matters. For example, the final item is entitled “Outlook for the Future,” and is completed in two-thirds of a page (which begins, “the trend toward eliminating the use of chlorinated hydrocarbon pesticides will probably continue”), which necessarily gives remarkably little for us to chew on when contemplating the murky and unpredictable future. This particular chapter may therefore be worth reading for people (like this reviewer) who are involved in the overall problem of pesticide design, but are not so close to it as to be in touch with recent, legislative developments. But for those cognoscenti who have to keep close to the system, this chapt,er will add little which is new to them. 11.
Q 1976 by Academic Press, Inc. of reproduction in any form reserved.
O'BRIEN
of Neurobiology and Hchrroiot University New York 148.53
Toxicology of Insecticides. Fumio Matsumura, Plenum Press, New York, 1975. 503 pp. $27.50. According to the author, Toxicology of Insecticides was designed for use by graduate students and the general scientific community, rather than those already expert in the field. However, I judge that the potential audience is wider than this and I hat) the book will be of interest to many people (‘oncerned with insecticides, ~5 there are few who are expert in all of the aspects covered by the author. There are 11 chapters dealing with the economic. and legal aspects and patterns of insecticide ILS~. general principles of insecticide toxicology (i.e., toxicity evaluation and analytical procedures for trace amounts), insecticide characteristics (strutture, propertieu, mammalian toxicity, major uses), modes of action, metabolism by animals and plants, entry into animal systems, movement in the animal body, transformations in the environmenl (microbial metabolism and transformations by sunlight and other physical factors), effects on wildlife, and hazards to man and domestic animals. This is not a text of insect toxicology, so do not expect to find all the fundamentals that YOU may wish students to learn concerning interactions between insects and toxicants. As the author stat’es in 584
Copright All rights
D.
Section Cornell Ithaca,
BOOK
585
REVIEWS
the preface, “the necessity to provide coverage of the exceedingly diverse areas that contribute to research on insecticide toxicology” poses a major problem, which I believe he has handled quite well for the most part. In many chapters he has supplied the reader who wishes additional information on a particular subject with a list of textbooks and review articles, although in a few cases, i.e., resistance to insecticides, joint action of chemicals, and integument permeability and insecticide penetration, several excellent reviews have been omitted. In general, the time lag between manuscript completion and publication is considerable for textbooks; such appears to be the case here. There are very few post-1972 citations, and thus certain important developments are not included, particularly those relating to wildlife, environmental toxicology, and new chemical controls (e.g., juvenile hormone analogs and mimics and dimilin). The index is not as useful as it should be, in that there are incomplete listings for some subjects and other important subjects are not listed; e.g., there is no mention of
insecticide resistance or resistant insects, yet the chapter on metabolism contains numerous findings on the subject. These are minor criticisms, to be sure, and are greatly outweighed by the many valuable features of the book; it is unique, gives a fairly well-balanced treatment of a very broad field, is abundantly referenced (over 1200), and it provides a solid base for building with the many excellent reviews of individual subjects that have appeared as books, chapters, and journal articles. It is a textbook that was long overdue and will be greatly welcomed by students of insecticide toxicology, those who teach it, and many others who are interested in insecticides. Considering the plethora of information provided and the quality of the presentation, this book is an exceptional bargain. J. FORQASH Department of Entomology and Economic Zoology Rutgers--State University of Nevt Jersey New Brunswick, New Jersey 0890s ANDREW