Bifenthrin

Last updated
Bifenthrin
Bifenthrin Structural Formula V1.svg
Bifentrhin.png
Names
Preferred IUPAC name
rel-(2-Methyl[1,1′-biphenyl]-3-yl)methyl (1R,3R)-3-[(1Z)-2-chloro-3,3,3-trifluoroprop-1-en-1-yl]-2,2-dimethylcyclopropane-1-carboxylate
Identifiers
3D model (JSmol)
ChEMBL
ChemSpider
ECHA InfoCard 100.120.070 OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
KEGG
PubChem CID
UNII
  • InChI=1S/C23H22ClF3O2/c1-14-16(10-7-11-17(14)15-8-5-4-6-9-15)13-29-21(28)20-18(22(20,2)3)12-19(24)23(25,26)27/h4-12,18,20H,13H2,1-3H3/b19-12-/t18-,20-/m1/s1 Yes check.svgY
    Key: OMFRMAHOUUJSGP-JHEGMOCKSA-N Yes check.svgY
  • InChI=1/2C23H22ClF3O2/c2*1-14-16(10-7-11-17(14)15-8-5-4-6-9-15)13-29-21(28)20-18(22(20,2)3)12-19(24)23(25,26)27/h2*4-12,18,20H,13H2,1-3H3/b2*19-12-/t2*18-,20-/m10/s1
    Key: OXCDWLBJSLVWHB-LKRLXIKPBY
  • Cc1c(cccc1c2ccccc2)COC(=O)C3C(C3(C)C)C=C(C(F)(F)F)Cl
  • Cl\C(=C/[C@@H]3[C@H](C(=O)OCc2cccc(c1ccccc1)c2C)C3(C)C)C(F)(F)F
Properties
C23H22ClF3O2
Molar mass 422.87 g·mol−1
0.1 mg/L
Hazards
Occupational safety and health (OHS/OSH):
Main hazards
irritant and aquatic pollutant
Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa).
Yes check.svgY  verify  (what is  Yes check.svgYX mark.svgN ?)

Bifenthrin is a pyrethroid insecticide. It is widely used against ant infestations.

Contents

Chemical properties

Bifenthrin is poorly soluble in water and often remains in soil. Its residual half-life in soil is between 7 days and 8 months, depending on the soil type, with a low mobility in most soil types. Bifenthrin has the longest known residual time in soil of insecticides currently on the market. It is a white, waxy solid with a faint sweet smell. It is chemically synthesized in various forms, including powder, granules and pellets. However, it is not naturally occurring. [1]

Like other pyrethroids, bifenthrin is chiral; it has different enantiomers which can have different effects. Bifenthrin is found in two enantiomers: 1S-cis-bifenthrin and 1R-cis-bifenthrin. 1S-cis-Bifenthrin is 3-4 times more toxic to humans than 1R-cis-bifenthrin, while the latter is more than 300 times more effective as a pesticide. [2]

Toxicity

Toxicodynamics

There are two types of pyrethroids: those with and without α-cyanogroup. The neurotoxicity of bifenthrin is based on the affinity to the voltage-gated sodium channels (in insects as well as mammals). The pyrethroids with an α-cyanogroup block the sodium-channel permanently, causing the membrane to be permanently hyperpolarized. The resting potential will not be restored, and no further action potential can be generated. The pyrethroids without an α-cyanogroup, to which bifenthrin belongs, are only able to bind to the sodium channel transiently. This will result in after potentials and eventual continuous firing of axons. The resting potential is not affected by these pyrethroids. [2]

Bifenthrin will open the sodium channel for a shorter period than other pyrethroids. The mechanism in mammals and invertebrates is not different, but the effect on mammals is much less due to higher body temperature, higher body volume, and lower affinity of bifenthrin to sodium channels. [3]

Toxicokinetics

Numerous studies have been conducted on the half life of bifenthrin in soil, water, and air under different conditions, such as aerobic or anaerobic, and at different temperatures and pH. [4] It is more likely to remain in the soil and not so much in water (it is hydrophobic), nor in the air (it is unlikely to volatilize because of its physical properties). Because of the water-insolubility of bifenthrin, it will not rapidly cause contamination of ground water. However, some contamination might occur by soil bound bifenthrin to surface water through runoff. For an overview of the environmental degradation of bifenthrin, see figure below. The main path of degradation results in 4’-hydroxy bifenthrin.

Biotransformation

Pyrethroids are much less toxic in mammals than they are in insects and fish, because mammals have the ability to rapidly break the ester bond in bifenthrin and break the substance into its inactive acid and alcohol components. [2] In humans and rats, bifenthrin is degraded by the cytochrome p450-family. [5]

Toxicology

Toxicity in animals

Mosquitoes

Bifenthrin is an effective pesticide to use against malaria and filaria vector mosquitoes. It is still effective when resistance to other pyrethroids is found. Mosquito nets and indoor walls can be treated with bifenthrin [6] to keep more mosquitoes away. [7] Bifenthrin is an effectively used insecticide, but the risk is high of it working only for a short time. Mosquitoes can develop a resistance to it, as well. [8]

Aquatic life

Bifenthrin is hardly soluble in water, so nearly all bifenthrin will stay in the sediment, but it is very harmful to aquatic life. Even in small concentrations, fish and other aquatic animals are affected by bifenthrin. [4] One of the reasons for the high sensitivity of fish is fish have a slow metabolism. Bifenthrin will stay longer in the system of the fish. Another reason for the high sensitivity of fish is the effect of bifenthrin as ATPase-inhibitor. The gills need ATP to control the osmotic balance of oxygen. If the fish is no longer capable of taking up oxygen because ATP can no longer be used, the fish will die. [9] In cold water, bifenthrin is even more dangerous. pH and calcium concentration are also factors that influence the toxicity. [10] Vertebrates are less sensitive to the effects of bifenthrin as ATPase-inhibitor.

Bees

In bees, the lethal concentration (LC50) of bifenthrin is about 17 mg/L. [11] At sublethal concentrations, bifenthrin reduces the fecundity of bees, decreases the rate at which bee larvae develop into adults, and increases their immature periods. [11]

Table of LD50 values [4]
SpeciesLD50
Female rats54 mg/kg
Male rats70 mg/kg
Mice43 mg/kg
Mallard ducks2150 mg/kg
Bobwhite quail1800 mg/kg
Rainbow trout0.00015 mg/L
Bluegill0.00035 mg/L
Daphnia0.0016 mg/L

Toxicity in humans

Bifenthrin and other synthetic pyrethroids are being used in agriculture in increasing amounts because of the high efficiency of these substances in killing insects, the low toxicity for mammals, and good biodegradability. [12] However, because of its success, they are being used more often (also indoors) and high exposure of bifenthrin to humans can occur. [13] [14]

Carcinogenicity

The U.S. EPA classified bifenthrin as a Category C, possible human carcinogen. This rating is based on an increased rate of urinary bladder tumors in mice, adenoma and adenocarcinoma of the liver in male mice, and bronchoalveolar adenomas and adenocarcinomas of the lung in some female mice. [15]

Potential for neurotoxicity

Bifenthrin can be absorbed by humans either by skin contact or ingestion. Skin contact is not toxic, causing only a slight tingling sensation at the point of contact. Ingestion in concentrations below 10−4 M is not toxic. However, commercially available bifenthrin products formulated for household use (such as Ortho Home Defense Max, sold as a liquid pump spray), can induce toxic effects due to other chemicals added to improve the sustainability of bifenthrin[ which? ] or are toxic on their own.[ which? ] Symptoms of excessive exposure are nausea, headaches, hypersensitivity for touch and sound, and irritation of the skin and the eyes. [16]

Regulation

The EPA monitors and regulates the use of pesticides in the United States. Because of its high toxicity to aquatic organisms, bifenthrin is classified as a restricted-use pesticide, meaning it may only be sold to certified pesticide applicators. However, the EPA allows lower concentrations of bifenthrin to be sold to the general public.[ citation needed ]

Bifenthrin has been approved for use against the Rasberry crazy ant in the Houston, Texas, area, under a special "crisis exemption" from the Texas Department of Agriculture and the EPA. The chemical is only approved for use in Texas counties experiencing "confirmed infestations" of the newly imported, invasive ant species. [17]

The EPA has classified bifenthrin as a class C carcinogen, a possible human carcinogen based on a test with mice, which showed increased development of certain tumors. [4]

An acute and chronic reference dose (RfD) for bifenthrin has been established, based on animal studies. The reference dose resembles the estimated quantity of a chemical which a person could be exposed to every day (or a one-time exposure for the acute RfD) without any appreciable risk of adverse health effects. The acute reference dose (RfD) for bifenthrin is 0.328 mg/kg bodyweight/day. The chronic reference dose (RfD) for bifenthrin is 0.013 mg/kg bodyweight/day. [4]

Bifenthrin was included in a biocide ban proposed by the Swedish Chemicals Agency, because of its carcinogenic effect. [18] This was approved by the European Parliament in 2009. [19] Pesticides containing bifenthrin were withdrawn from use in the European Union. [20] They have since been reinstated. [21]

Bifenthrin is banned for agricultural use in European union countries since July 2019 [22] but is still approved for the preservation of chopped wood.

Use

On a large scale, bifenthrin is often used against invasive red fire ants. It is also effective against aphids, worms, other ants, gnats, moths, beetles, earwigs, grasshoppers, mites, midges, spiders, ticks, yellow jackets, maggots, thrips, caterpillars, flies, fleas, spotted lanternflies [23] and termites. It is mostly used in orchards, nurseries, and homes. In the agricultural sector, it is used in great amounts on certain crops, such as corn. About 70% of all hops and raspberries cultured in the United States are treated with bifenthrin. [1]

Bifenthrin is used by the textile industry to protect woollen products from insect attack. It was introduced as an alternative to permethrin-based agents, due to greater efficacy against keratinophagous insects, better wash-fastness, and lower aquatic toxicity. [24]

Products

Products containing bifenthrin include Sevin, Transport, Talstar, Maxxthor, Biforce, Capture, Brigade, Bifenthrine, DuoCide insect control, Ortho Home Defense Max, Bifen XTS, Bifen IT, Bifen L/P, Torant, Zipak, Scotts Turf Builder SummerGuard, Wisdom TC Flowable, FMC 54800, Allectus, Ortho Max Pro and OMS3024 and mega wash from green planet and in Australia, Fortune Ultra, Hovex Ultra Low Odor and Surefire Fivestar. [1]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Insecticide</span> Pesticide used against insects

Insecticides are pesticides used to kill insects. They include ovicides and larvicides used against insect eggs and larvae, respectively. Acaricides, which kill mites and ticks, are not strictly insecticides, but are usually classified together with insecticides. The major use of Insecticides is agriculture, but they are also used in home and garden, industrial buildings, vector control and control of insect parasites of animals and humans. Insecticides are claimed to be a major factor behind the increase in the 20th-century's agricultural productivity. Nearly all insecticides have the potential to significantly alter ecosystems; many are toxic to humans and/or animals; some become concentrated as they spread along the food chain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cypermethrin</span> Chemical compound

Cypermethrin (CP) is a synthetic pyrethroid used as an insecticide in large-scale commercial agricultural applications as well as in consumer products for domestic purposes. It behaves as a fast-acting neurotoxin in insects. It is easily degraded on soil and plants but can be effective for weeks when applied to indoor inert surfaces. It is a non-systemic and non-volatile insecticide that acts by contact and ingestion, used in agriculture and in pest control products. Exposure to sunlight, water and oxygen will accelerate its decomposition. Cypermethrin is highly toxic to fish, bees and aquatic insects, according to the National Pesticides Telecommunications Network (NPTN). It is found in many household ant and cockroach killers, including Raid, Ortho, Combat, ant chalk, and some products of Baygon in Southeast Asia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Piperonyl butoxide</span> Chemical compound

Piperonyl butoxide (PBO) is a pale yellow to light brown liquid organic compound used as an adjuvant component of pesticide formulations for synergy. That is, despite having no pesticidal activity of its own, it enhances the potency of certain pesticides such as carbamates, pyrethrins, pyrethroids, and rotenone. It is a semisynthetic derivative of safrole and is produced from the condensation of the sodium salt of 2-(2-butoxyethoxy) ethanol and the chloromethyl derivative of hydrogenated safrole (dihydrosafrole); or through 1,2-Methylenedioxybenzene.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pyrethrin</span> Class of organic chemical compounds with insecticidal properties

The pyrethrins are a class of organic compounds normally derived from Chrysanthemum cinerariifolium that have potent insecticidal activity by targeting the nervous systems of insects. Pyrethrin naturally occurs in chrysanthemum flowers and is often considered an organic insecticide when it is not combined with piperonyl butoxide or other synthetic adjuvants. Their insecticidal and insect-repellent properties have been known and used for thousands of years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pyrethroid</span> Class of insecticides

A pyrethroid is an organic compound similar to the natural pyrethrins, which are produced by the flowers of pyrethrums. Pyrethroids are used as commercial and household insecticides.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Permethrin</span> Medication and insecticide

Permethrin is a medication and an insecticide. As a medication, it is used to treat scabies and lice. It is applied to the skin as a cream or lotion. As an insecticide, it can be sprayed onto outer clothing or mosquito nets to kill the insects that touch them.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Imidacloprid</span> Chemical compound

Imidacloprid is a systemic insecticide belonging to a class of chemicals called the neonicotinoids which act on the central nervous system of insects. The chemical works by interfering with the transmission of stimuli in the insect nervous system. Specifically, it causes a blockage of the nicotinergic neuronal pathway. By blocking nicotinic acetylcholine receptors, imidacloprid prevents acetylcholine from transmitting impulses between nerves, resulting in the insect's paralysis and eventual death. It is effective on contact and via stomach action. Because imidacloprid binds much more strongly to insect neuron receptors than to mammal neuron receptors, this insecticide is more toxic to insects than to mammals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Persistent organic pollutant</span> Organic compounds that are resistant to environmental degradation

Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are organic compounds that are resistant to degradation through chemical, biological, and photolytic processes. They are toxic and adversely affect human health and the environment around the world. Because they can be transported by wind and water, most POPs generated in one country can and do affect people and wildlife far from where they are used and released.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fipronil</span> Chemical compound

Fipronil is a broad-spectrum insecticide that belongs to the phenylpyrazole chemical family. Fipronil disrupts the insect central nervous system by blocking the ligand-gated ion channel of the GABAA receptor and glutamate-gated chloride (GluCl) channels. This causes hyperexcitation of contaminated insects' nerves and muscles. Fipronil's specificity towards insects is believed to be due to its greater binding affinity for the GABAA receptors of insects than to those of mammals, and for its action on GluCl channels, which do not exist in mammals. As of 2017, there does not appear to be significant resistance among fleas to fipronil.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Deltamethrin</span> Chemical compound

Deltamethrin is a pyrethroid ester insecticide. Deltamethrin plays a key role in controlling malaria vectors, and is used in the manufacture of long-lasting insecticidal mosquito nets; however, resistance of mosquitos and bed bugs to deltamethrin has seen a widespread increase.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mirex</span> Chemical compound

Mirex is an organochloride that was commercialized as an insecticide and later banned because of its impact on the environment. This white crystalline odorless solid is a derivative of cyclopentadiene. It was popularized to control fire ants but by virtue of its chemical robustness and lipophilicity it was recognized as a bioaccumulative pollutant. The spread of the red imported fire ant was encouraged by the use of mirex, which also kills native ants that are highly competitive with the fire ants. The United States Environmental Protection Agency prohibited its use in 1976. It is prohibited by the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Methoxychlor</span> Synthetic organochloride insecticide, now obsolete.

Methoxychlor is a synthetic organochloride insecticide, now obsolete. Tradenames for methoxychlor include Chemform, Maralate, Methoxo, Methoxcide, Metox, and Moxie.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phenothrin</span> Chemical compound

Phenothrin, also called sumithrin and d-phenothrin, is a synthetic pyrethroid that kills adult fleas and ticks. It has also been used to kill head lice in humans. d-Phenothrin is used as a component of aerosol insecticides for domestic use. It is often used with methoprene, an insect growth regulator that interrupts the insect's biological lifecycle by killing the eggs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cyhalothrin</span> Synthetic pyrethroid used as insecticide

Cyhalothrin is an organic compound that, in specific isomeric forms, is used as a pesticide. It is a pyrethroid, a class of synthetic insecticides that mimic the structure and properties of the naturally occurring insecticide pyrethrin which is present in the flowers of Chrysanthemum cinerariifolium. Pyrethroids such as cyhalothrin are often preferred as an active ingredient in agricultural insecticides because they are more cost-effective and longer acting than natural pyrethrins. λ-and γ-cyhalothrin are now used to control insects and spider mites in crops including cotton, cereals, potatoes and vegetables.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prallethrin</span> Chemical compound

Prallethrin is a pyrethroid insecticide. Prallethrin 1.6% w/w liquid vaporizer is a repellent insecticide which is generally used for the control of mosquitoes in the household.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clothianidin</span> Chemical compound

Clothianidin is an insecticide developed by Takeda Chemical Industries and Bayer AG. Similar to thiamethoxam and imidacloprid, it is a neonicotinoid. Neonicotinoids are a class of insecticides that are chemically similar to nicotine, which has been used as a pesticide since the late 1700s. Clothianidin and other neonicotinoids act on the central nervous system of insects as an agonist of nAChR, the same receptor as acetylcholine, the neurotransmitter that stimulates and activating post-synaptic acetylcholine receptors but not inhibiting AChE. Clothianidin and other neonicotinoids were developed to last longer than nicotine, which is more toxic and which breaks down too quickly in the environment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tefluthrin</span> Synthetic pyrethroid used as insecticide

Tefluthrin is the ISO common name for an organic compound that is used as a pesticide. It is a pyrethroid, a class of synthetic insecticides that mimic the structure and properties of the naturally occurring insecticide pyrethrin which is present in the flowers of Chrysanthemum cinerariifolium. Pyrethroids such as tefluthrin are often preferred as active ingredients in agricultural insecticides because they are more cost-effective and longer acting than natural pyrethrins. It is effective against soil pests because it can move as a vapour without irreversibly binding to soil particles: in this respect it differs from most other pyrethroids.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ethoprophos</span> Chemical compound

Ethoprophos (or ethoprop) is an organophosphate ester with the formula C8H19O2PS2. It is a clear yellow to colourless liquid that has a characteristic mercaptan-like odour. It is used as an insecticide and nematicide and it is an acetylcholinesterase inhibitor.

Persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic substances (PBTs) are a class of compounds that have high resistance to degradation from abiotic and biotic factors, high mobility in the environment and high toxicity. Because of these factors PBTs have been observed to have a high order of bioaccumulation and biomagnification, very long retention times in various media, and widespread distribution across the globe. Most PBTs in the environment are either created through industry or are unintentional byproducts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fenpropathrin</span> Chemical compound

Fenpropathrin, or fenopropathrin, is a widely used pyrethroid insecticide in agriculture and household. Fenpropathrin is an ingestion and contact synthetic pyrethroid. Its mode of action is similar to other natural (pyrethrum) and synthetic pyrethroids where in they interfere with the kinetics of voltage gated sodium channels causing paralysis and death of the pest. Fenpropathrin was the first of the light-stable synthetic pyrethroids to be synthesized in 1971, but it was not commercialized until 1980. Like other pyrethroids with an α-cyano group, fenpropathrin also belongs to the termed type II pyrethroids. Type II pyrethroids are a more potent toxicant than type I in depolarizing insect nerves. Application rates of fenpropathrin in agriculture according to US environmental protection agency (EPA) varies by crop but is not to exceed 0.4 lb ai/acre.

References

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