Because pesticide exposure is a significant hazard to farmworkers in their working and living environments, basic pesticide toxicology is a topic for farmworker science education that has implications beyond scientific literacy to encompass farmworkers' safety and health. Migrant and seasonal farmworkers have been identified as an at-risk…

Topics addressed in this discussion of toxicology and chemical safety include routes of exposure, dose/response relationships, action of toxic substances, and effects of exposure to chemicals. Specific examples are used to illustrate the principles discussed. Suggests prudence in handling any chemicals, whether or not toxicity is known. (JN)

Discusses the relative danger from toxicity of some typical chemicals. Notes that some materials in solutions have low toxicity, but in dust form have high toxicity. Suggests that more chemical compounds should be treated as the dangerous compounds they are. Lists common compounds found in the lab. (MVL)