The insecticides carbofuran and diazinon as well as the herbicide pendimethalin were irradiated with UV light of different wavelengths in water or water/soil suspensions under various conditions. As compared to pure distilled water, photodegradation was increased in the presence of titanium dioxide, hydrogen peroxide or ozone, or by using natural river or lake water. In a water/soil suspension, diazinon was converted, besides to other products, to the isomeric isodiazinon. When subjected to various direct or indirect photolysis conditions, pendimethalin was transformed to various products resulting from dealkylation and reduction. [14C]Pendimethalin was applied to two natural sandy soils in lysimeters under outdoor conditions. Leachate collected at 1 m depth was analysed for radioactivity for 300 days. Radioactive products were detected from the third week onwards and continued to be leached during the whole experimental period. The radioactive products were neither the parent compound nor carbon dioxide nor carbonate but water-soluble organic conversion products.