Depending on the type of oil, there is a ratio of 30 : 1 up to 3000 : 1 from raw material to essential oil (EO). If the raw material has pesticide residues, also these tend to be more concentrated in the EO, especially when it comes to lipophilic pesticides. I understand, however, that you cannot simply apply the oil concentration factor to the pesticide concentration factor, because (a) not all the residues end up in the oil, and (b) some pesticides are destroyed by high temperatures during steam distillation.
Where can I find solid figures about these concentration factors? I am specifically interested in chlorpyrifos, but also other pesticides.
Thank you!
Pesticides are heavy residues, then they aren't entrained by water vapor during the distillation. So the essential oil isn't contaminated by pesticides, unless compounds resulting from the breakdown of pesticides may eventually contaminate the essential oil.
We know from practical experience and many studies that there is often a very high concentration of pesticides in essential oils. It seems to depend on lipophilicity and vapour pressure of the pesticide, rather than the type of plant. But there are relatively few reliable data about the real concentration factor for different pesticides.
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