ABSTRACT
The biochemical degradation pathway of pesticides under field conditions can yield metabolites that require a more complete toxicological evaluation once they might be so or even more toxic than the parent compounds. The objective of this study was to evaluate the metabolism of the inseticide/acaricide carbosulfan to carbofuran and to 3-hydroxy-carbofuran, based on their residues in orange leaves. Two field experiments were carried out, both with the following treatments: a - control; b - one application of 10 g of carbosulfan . 100 L-1 of water; c - one application with twice the amount applied in treatment b; d - four applications with the same amount applied in treatment b. Samples were taken at (-1), zero, 1, 3, 7, 14, 21 and 28 days after the last or unique application. The quantitative determinations were done by by gas chromatography, using a nitrogen-phosphorus detector. The carbosulfan metabolism to carbofuran was fast and both had low persistence in the leaves (3 days). The same trend was observed for the carbofuran metabolism to 3-hydroxy-carbofuran, which was produced in very low amount and rapidly dissipated