Pesticide assessments in Canada: Chemistry
Purpose of a chemistry assessment
In a chemistry assessment, we examine the properties of a pesticide like:
- what it's made of
- how it's made
- its chemical and physical properties
Information about a pesticide's chemistry is used in the human health and environmental risk assessments.
At Health Canada, we study the chemical structure of the pesticide's active ingredient (the ingredient that controls pests). We also study added ingredients (materials with no pesticide action) that make the pesticide more effective or convenient to use. We review the chemical and physical properties of the pesticide, which include:
- colour
- smell
- density
- pH
- impurities (any substance other than the active and added ingredients)
- solubility (if it can dissolve in water or another substance)
- molecular weight (the sum of the weight of atoms in a molecule)
- storage conditions
These properties inform our human health and environmental risk assessments. In the environmental risk assessment, they help us understand what happens to a pesticide in the environment. For example, how a pesticide moves through soil, water, air, and how it breaks down. The properties are also considered in the human health risk assessment. They help us understand what happens to a pesticide when people are exposed to it. For example, if a pesticide can be absorbed into the body.
For more information on data considered in a chemistry assessment, visit: