The dithiocarbamates included in this review are those that are mainly used in agriculture and form part of the large group of synthetic organic pesticides that have been developed and produced on a large scale in the last 40 - 50 years. The development of dithiocarbamate derivatives with pesticidal properties occurred during and after the Second World War. However, a few compounds, such as thiram and ziram, were introduced in the 1930s. In this introductory document, an attempt has been made to summarize the available data on the dithiocarbamates used as pesticides, in order to indicate their impact on man, animals, plants, and the environment.