ABSTRACT
The production and use of chemical substances is accompanied with certain emissions to the environment. Depending on the physico-chemical characteristics of contaminants they are primarily emitted to air, water or the soil. The fate and behavior of chemicals in the environment is determined in addition to their physico-chemical characteristics, to their interactions with the ecosystem, with the living and non-living components as well as the users of the environment. The fate and behavior of chemical substances are well known under ‘in vitro’ (laboratory) conditions; however, our knowledge about the interactions between chemical substances and environmental compartments, phases and their inhabitants is limited. The assessment, refinement and the pitfalls of the characterization of the behavior of chemicals in the environment is the topic of this chapter to support understanding the role and the use of fate properties in hazard and risk assessment, as well as in the risk-based management of chemicals.
