ABSTRACT
Diuron is released to the environment during its use as a preemergence herbicide. Diuron will degrade in air with an estimated half-life in the vapor phase of 5.8 days due to reaction with hydroxyl radical. Human exposure will primarily be in the workplace and fields where diuron is used. Diuron is released to the environment during its use as a preemergent herbicide. Diuron is a highly persistent and fairly immobile herbicide. Diuron absorbs UV light with wavelengths greater than 290 nm and therefore is a candidate for direct photolysis. Diuron in aqueous solution or adsorbed on filter paper is degraded when exposed to sunlight. Diuron showed very low mobility in Lakeland pond sediment under unsaturated flow conditions, remaining in the upper 5 cm after 30 days with 1.2 cm/day of water being applied. Diuron was detected in 1 of 94 farm wells surveyed in Ontario in 1984.
