ABSTRACT
This chapter sets out some methods for developing novel active ingredients and formulations with a lower potential for drinking water contamination. Extensive volatilization may raise a host of other issues, including contamination of fog and rainwater, or even global climate change for high-sales-volume halogenated compounds. Besides the potential for drinking water contamination, there are other potential environmental risks posed by pesticides. The physical-chemical properties of a pesticide responsible for its potential to leach into groundwater or runoff into surface water are its persistence and mobility. Certain atoms and functionalities such as extensive halogenation generally retard degradation in soil and water, and these types of substitutions should be minimized to the extent possible, while still maintaining activity against the target pest. New farming and application technologies are generally more compatible with certain classes of pesticides, primarily those that are foliarly applied after the crop has emerged.
