Which equation reflects the relationship between pesticide safety concerns?

• A. Hazard = toxicity X exposure
• B. Exposure = Hazard X Toxicity
• C. Risk = Hazard X Exposure
• D. Toxicity = Hazard X Exposure

Answer: (A)

Safety concerns about a pesticide come from its potential to cause harm, which depends on how toxic the substance is and how much people or the environment are exposed to it. Multiplying toxicity by exposure reflects that idea, yielding hazard as a function of both factors. If either factor is high, hazard increases accordingly.

The other forms misplace the relationships: exposure isn’t determined by how hazardous a substance is or by its inherent toxicity, and toxicity isn’t determined by how much exposure there is. Risk is often defined as hazard times exposure, but this question focuses on hazard itself being the product of toxicity and exposure.

So, hazard = toxicity × exposure best expresses the relationship described.