What replaced Organochlorines as a pesticide?

• A. Organophosphates
• B. Organochlorines
• C. Carbamates
• D. Neonicotinoids

Answer: (A)

Organochlorines were replaced by organophosphates because organochlorines are highly persistent in the environment and tend to bioaccumulate in food chains, leading to long-lasting ecological and health concerns. Organophosphates offered effective pest control with a different mechanism—blocking acetylcholinesterase in insects—while degrading more readily in the environment, reducing long-term residues. This made them a practical and safer-seeming alternative for many applications, even though they come with their own acute toxicity risks to humans and animals. Examples of organophosphates include malathion and parathion, which illustrate the shift from persistent organochlorines to compounds that work well against pests but don’t linger as long in the environment.