Pesticide degradation

Pesticide degradation is the process by which a pesticide is transformed into a benign substance that is environmentally compatible with the site to which it was applied. Globally, an estimated 1 to 2.5 million tons of active pesticide ingredients are used each year, mainly in agriculture. Forty percent are herbicides, followed by insecticides and fungicides. Since their initial development in the 1940s, multiple chemical pesticides with different uses and modes of action have been employed. Pesticides are applied over large areas in agriculture and urban settings. Pesticide use, therefore, represents an important source of diffuse chemical environmental inputs.[1]

  1. ^ Fenner, K.; Canonica, S.; Wackett, L. P.; Elsner, M. (2013). "Evaluating Pesticide Degradation in the Environment: Blind Spots and Emerging Opportunities". Science. 341 (6147): 752–8. Bibcode:2013Sci...341..752F. doi:10.1126/science.1236281. PMID 23950532. S2CID 3145139.