Environmental Fate- Photolysis is n

Environmental Fate- Photolysis is not a significant contributor to the degradation of
benomyl. Under light or dark conditions, the half-life of benomyl in buffered (pH 5) solutions
was 3-4 hours. In the field, the half-life of benomyl was 3 days. The principal degradation
products of benomyl were methyl 2-benzimidazolecarbamate (MBC) and a volatile compound,
n-butyl isocyanate. In water, n-butyl isocyanate rapidly hydrolysed to butylamine and carbon
dioxide, with a half-life of 13.8 minutes. The half-life of MBC under aerobic conditions in nonsterile
soil was 320 days. Under anaerobic conditions, the half-life of MBC was 743 days.
Under field conditions, the half-life of MBC ranged from 51 to 83 days, depending upon soil type
and weather conditions. Because of low water solubility and immobility in soil, benomyl and
MBC are unlikely to become groundwater contaminants.