Living organisms such as insects, weeds, mites, mollusks and fungi that have harmful effects on humans, animals and agricultural products are called pests. Pesticides are substances that are used to kill these harmful creatures or change their behavior and can remain intact in nature for a long time. Pesticides include insecticides against insects, fungicides against fungi and molds, herbicides against weeds, rodenticides against rodents, molluscicides against mollusks and chemicals affecting plant growth. Pesticides are commonly used to destroy pests that damage the food substances during their production, preparation and storage [1].
Since 2000 BC humans have utilized pesticides to protect their crops and the first known pesticide was sulphur used in ancient Sumer about 4,500 years ago in Mesopotamia. Until the 1950s, the use of arsenic-based pesticides was widespread but after the discovery of dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) as a very effective insecticide, they were replaced by organochlorines until 1975 [2].