When 2-4-D gets into the soil, it undergoes different stages in the environment depending on its form. It breaks down while in the ground, and half of the original amount is eliminated within 1 to 14 days. One of the forms of the 2-4-D, the butoxy ethyl ester is said to have more half-life in aquatic sediments of 186 days. Half-life is the breakdown time of the 2-4-D.