[The role of biotransformation in assessing the toxicological risk from pesticides].

Pesticides are an extremely heterogeneous group of chemical compound with varying toxicity. The biotransformation and degradation mechanisms are essential factors in the regulation of their toxic effects and of their persistence in the environment and biological tissues. Knowledge of metabolism and measurement of metabolites are fundamental to evaluate the risk from residues in food and water and to assess the toxicological risk for subjects occupationally exposed to pesticides.