What happens to pesticides when they breakdown?
The complete breakdown of pesticides and other organic substances is called mineralization. The products of mineralization are carbon dioxide, water, and minerals containing elements which commonly include sulfur, phosphorus, nitrogen, and the halogens: chlorine, fluorine, and bromine. Pesticides usually form many break down products. These products break down to other products. There can be many steps before mineralization. Rarely is it known if and when a pesticide has mineralized. Some pesticide break down products are incorporated into soil organic matter. Those taken up by plants or animals may be used by the organism or the metabolites excreted. At some point in a pesticide s break down the products are no longer of concern, as they are not biologically active (toxic). Usually the initial break down products are much less toxic than the pesticide, but sometimes they are of similar or greater toxicity.
