What term describes the capacity of a pesticide to cause short-term (acute) or long-term (chronic) injury?

The term that accurately describes the capacity of a pesticide to cause both short-term (acute) and long-term (chronic) injury is toxicity. Toxicity refers to the inherent properties of a substance, in this case, a pesticide, that determine its detrimental effects on living organisms. It encompasses the severity of the injury that can result from exposure and is measured based on various factors, including dose, duration of exposure, and the individual organism's response.

While hazard implies the potential for harm, it does not specifically account for the nature or severity of that harm, which is the focus of toxicity. Exposure pertains to the amount and duration of contact an organism has with the pesticide, but it does not intrinsically reflect the potential for injury. The exposure index may assess multiple factors related to exposure, but it is not a term that defines the injury-causing capacity itself. Thus, toxicity is the most appropriate term in this context.