Volatilisation of pesticides after application in vegetable greenhouses.

BACKGROUND: Volatilisation of pesticides after application to the soil or the crop is an important source of emission into the atmosphere. As a result, workers, residents and bystanders are potentially at risk when exposed to these volatilised substances. Nonetheless, data on measured concentrations are quite scarce, especially in greenhouses. The objective of this work is to present the results of volatilisation experiments performed in greenhouses. RESULTS: The results indicate that the concentrations are highest in the hours after application and rapidly decline during the days following application. CONCLUSION: Greenhouse temperature, ventilation rate, the substance vapour pressure and the rate of competing processes were identified as important factors influencing volatilisation in greenhouses. The results from this study contribute to a better understanding of volatilisation in greenhouses and may help to improve the recent PEARL model for volatilisation in greenhouses.