Agrochemical residues in air

The term pesticide includes chemicals used to eradicate rodents (rodenticides), fungi (fungicides), weeds (herbicides) and insects (insecticides). These agrochemicals may be used directly on the medicinal plant crop itself, they may be used on crops growing adjacent to the herbs or they may occur as general environmental pollutants in soil, air or water. The presence of insecticide residues is of particular concern because those of the organochlorine type (DDT etc.) have been shown to cause cancers in animals and those of the organophosphate and carbamate types are potent cholinesterase inhibitors. 

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