Toxicological-hygienic requirements for study, registration, and regulations of pesticides in the USSR.

This review discusses the toxicological and hygienic aspects of the extensive increase in pesticide use, which has resulted in the great majority of people throughout the world being affected by their presence. The need for a broad exchange at an international level of the findings of toxicological and hygienic research is established. Brief information on the development of pesticide toxicological research in the USSR is also presented. Accepted criteria for toxicological and hygienic pesticide assessments in the USSR are also systematically reviewed, with respect to the evaluation of physical and chemical properties, toxicity as defined through acute and subacute experiments, cumulative properties, and effects on skin and mucous membranes. The methodology for establishing threshold and noneffective (harmless) levels is also described, along with the prediction of delayed adverse effects. Other areas discussed include the classification of pesticides by degree of toxicity and danger, the system of research and regulation in the USSR, and the principle of integrated standardization of pesticide content of food, water, and atmospheric air. The review concludes with a look at certain prospective trends in the search for and development of pesticides that have selective action on target organisms but are harmless to human health and the environment.