SOIL CHEMISTRY OF PESTICIDES

There is a strong relationship between the amount of pesticide appHed and the amount detected in soil and water. Some background information on pesticide usage and terminology is useful in understanding their impact on the environment. 

Pesticides are further subdivided into classes of compounds. Historically, insecticides included the organochlorine, methyl carbamate, and organophosphate classes of pesticides. Herbicides comprise about 10—12 principal classes of compounds. Within each class of pesticide there may be several hundred active ingredients. 

The total pesticide usage in the United States almost doubled between 1964 and 1977 and has been quite stable since that time, at about 500,000 t of active ingredient (3). Most of the increase in usage has been for agriculture, increasing from 145,000 t in 1964 to 439,000 t in 1995. 

Total sales of pesticides in 1995 were estimated at 10.4 biUion. The distribution of sales among various classes of pesticides is shown in Table 1. 

Kirk-Othmer Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology (4th Edition) 

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CARBOXYDICACIDS - TRIALKYDACETIC ACIDS] (Vol 5) [SOIL CHEMISTRY OF PESTICIDES] (Vol 22)... 

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