2.5.3. Fungicides

These chemicals are used to kill fungi. Using fungicides causes air, water and soil pollutions. Fungicides get in to environment by agricultural or hospital usage. For example, areas of intensive agriculture, aquatic environments and etc. are exposed to agricultural pesticides, which are regularly detected in surface waters in these areas. As another example, after application of azole fungicides to treat fungal infection in human, these chemicals may reach to the receiving environment via direct or indirect discharge of wastewaters, thus posing potential risks to non-target organisms. But, most of fungicides have relatively low mammalian toxicities, and except for carbamates such as benomyl, a relatively narrow spectrum of toxicity to soil-inhabiting and aquatic organisms. Their greatest environmental impact is toxicity to soil and water microorganisms.