True or False: A pesticide becomes a pollutant when applied over the recommended dose or when it drifts off target.

The statement is true because a pesticide can become a pollutant when it is used improperly. Specifically, applying a pesticide over the recommended dose exceeds the safe limits established for its usage, potentially leading to negative environmental impacts, including harm to human health, wildlife, and the ecosystem.

Additionally, if a pesticide drifts off target, meaning it affects areas beyond where it was intended to be applied, it can contaminate unintended environments, such as nearby water bodies or non-target crops. In both scenarios, the chemical can enter ecosystems in harmful concentrations, ultimately making it a pollutant.

While there are considerations regarding harm to non-target organisms and degradation processes, the primary conditions that classify a pesticide as a pollutant relate directly to its application and the consequences of that application. Thus, the assertion that it becomes a pollutant under these conditions is completely accurate.