There can be many steps before mineralization. Rarely is it known if and when a pesticide has mineralized. Some pesticide break down products are incorporated into soil organic matter. Those taken up by plants or animals may be used by the organism or the metabolites excreted. Usually the initial break down products are much less toxic than the pesticide, but sometimes they are of similar or greater toxicity.
Pesticides can move from their initial distribution by a number of processes.
To travel longer distances pesticides move by mass transfer, usually in moving water or air. A pesticide's tendency to move in air or water is determined by how much it is retained by the surfaces to which it was deposited. The strength of the sorption often determines a pesticide's availability to mass transfer. Transfer from water, soil, or plant surfaces to air is called volatilization. Volatilization occurs when pesticide surface residues change from solid or liquid to a gas.