"A number of chemicals of diverse characteristics have arbitrarily been classed together on the basis of their use and given the descriptive name "pesticides." An unfortunate aura of mystery has developed about these chemicals. However, there is nothing unique or mysterious about the chemicals we refer to as "pesticides." Like other chemicals, they have properties which can be accurately measured; they obey all the laws of physics, chemistry, and biology. Chemical and physical properties of a pesticide and interacting environmental factors determine the behavior of pesticides. Behavior in turn dictates the ultimate fate of the pesticide (16). To predict behavior, we need to measure the chemical and physical properties of the pesticide and the environment. With these data and the laws of physics, chemistry, and biology, we can attack the problem of predicting what happens to a chemical in the environment. Our freedom to continue using pesticides depends on our ability to understand and predict their behavior in the environment. In this paper I will consider the bases of chemical behavior and the behavior of pesticides in plants."

This book reviews the occurrence and fate of pesticides in soils, their impact on soil quality and soil ecosystems, and it also provides a comprehensive overview of the latest prevention and remediation strategies of soil contamination. Chapters from expert contributors cover topics such as soil pollution monitoring, the role of dissolved organic matter on the environmental fate of pesticides in soils, the effects of pesticides on soil microbial communities, plant uptake of pesticides from soils, and nano-based pesticides. Particular attention is given to the latest physicochemical and biological technologies developed to immobilize or degrade pesticides, preventing soil and water pollution. Given its scope, the book will appeal to researchers, professionals, including environmental chemists, engineers, ecologists, and policy-makers responsible for soil management.

The book covers the various aspects of the use of pesticides, their behavior, degradation, and impacts in wetland ricefields, and presents the results of surveys conducted in the Philippines and Thailand. It includes both bibliographic reviews and selected aspects of the experimental results of a research project on pesticide impacts in wetland ricefields. The first phase of the `Pesticide Impact' project was developed in the Philippines from 1989 to 1991. It was a multidisciplinary/collaborative approach involving scientists from IRRI, NRI (England), ORSTOM (France), UPLB (Philippines) who studied the effects of pesticides on the environment and on farmers' health, and the economical aspects of their use.

Pesticides have played a significant role in increasing food production, and in view of growing worldwide food demand we can expect the use of these chemicals to increase. However, some of them have found their way into the biosphere and have been classi fied as persistent toxic chemicals. This has resulted in serious concern about environmental contamination. Since we are going to continue using chemicals, we should learn more about such aspects as their transport in the environment, the relationship of their physical-chemical properties to transport, their persistence in the biosphere, their partitioning in the biota, and toxicological and epidemiological forecasting based on physical-chemical properties. Environmental chemodynamics is the name given to a subject which deals with some of the above topics, utilizing the principles of such disciplines as chemistry, physics, systems analysis, modelling, engineering, and medical and biological sciences. To ensure the safety of the environment, we must know more about the chemodynamical behavior of pesticides and related chemi cals. The purpose of the symposium "Environmental Dynamics of Pes ticides" was to explore the concept of chemodynamics as applied to pesticides and thus may help in developing the emerging field of environmental chemodynamics. The symposium was held during the l37th National American Chemical Society Meeting at Los Angeles, California, during April, 1974. The three sessions in the sym posium were chai'red by Drs. V.H. Freed, D.G. Crosby, and R. Haque.

Volume 1: Dosage and response; Solubility, partition and adsorption; Principles of diffusion and flow; Chemical transformation; Behaviour in soil and other porous granular materials; Behaviour of pesticides in air; Pesticides in aquatic situations; Coverage and spreading; Permeation. Volume 2: Relatorio of permeation to toxicity; Penetration of pesticides into higher plants; Penetration of pesticides into insects and fungi; Effects of growth and movement of organisms on interception of pesticides; Application and formulation.

Fate and Prediction of Environmental Chemicals in Soils, Plants, and Aquatic Systems focuses on the chemical persistence and ecotoxicological behavior of pesticides in soil, water, and plants. The book examines recent developments in research on various substances and relays information regarding transport, adsorption, absorption, accumulation, degradation, biological effects, toxicity to aquatic organisms, air pollution, exposure, and risk estimation. Leading international scientists present their advances in analytical methodology and instrumentation in the fields of agrochemicals and environmental chemistry. This useful review of data, methods, and principles will benefit environmental researchers, managers, biologists, chemists, pharmacologists, and others interested in assessing the potential for contamination of soil, air, water, and plants.