Not all Pesticides are Created Equally

One comment passively made in the movie The Future of Food is that "nerve gas developed during World War II was slightly modified to make insecticides. As a chemistry major, I know that a single atom can make a huge difference in whether a compound is hazardous or beneficial. For example, chlorine is a toxic gas. But when it is combined with a little bit of sodium, it makes sodium chloride, or table salt.

My dad is an entomologist- this means that he studies insects. Part of the research he does is developing the chemicals that are the same as the pheromones. Pheromones are the chemicals emitted by organisms that allow them to communicate between individuals of the same species. One function they serve is locating a potential mate. So his lab creates molecules that are chemically the same as the pheromones that bad insects (pests) emit in a agricultural field. His product doesn't actually kill any insects, it just confuses the male insects in their quest to find a female, thus preventing them from mating. But, the USDA still considers his product a insecticide. Therefore, I think it is too much of a generalization for the book to claim that insecticides are a derivative of nerve gas.