Ideally it makes contact with the targeted pest. Any remaining pesticide or pesticide residue may be exposed to one, several or all of the pathways shown above. Impairment to the environment may occur when a pesticide overloads a pathway. Pesticide Properties Four major pesticide properties important to a pesticide's fate after application are vapor pressure, sorption, water solubility and persistence. Pesticides with high vapor pressure are more likely to volatilize and escape into the atmosphere.
Sorption is the attraction of a pesticide to inorganic and organic soil surfaces.
When pesticides are sorbed to soils, they are less likely to leach. Water Solubility expresses the amount of pesticide that will dissolve in a given amount of water. Pesticides with large water solubility generally have lower sorption. This makes them more mobile in the environment and more readily available for leaching to ground water or to running off with surface water. Persistence refers to the amount of time a pesticide remains in the environment.