The capacity of a pesticide to cause short-term (acute) or long-term (chronic) injury is referred to as its:

• A. Toxicity
• B. Hazard
• C. Exposure
• D. Potency

Answer: (A)

Toxicity describes the inherent ability of a pesticide to cause harm, whether from short-term (acute) exposure or long-term (chronic) exposure. It refers to how harmful the substance can be in principle, independent of how much exposure actually occurs. Acute toxicity means effects appear quickly after a brief exposure, while chronic toxicity refers to harm from repeated or long-term exposure.

Hazard blends toxicity with the likelihood of exposure, so it depends on both the substance’s harmfulness and how people or the environment might encounter it. Exposure is simply contact with the pesticide, not its inherent harm. Potency relates to how much of the substance is needed to produce a given effect, which is related but not the exact concept of the capacity to cause injury over time.