Acrylonitrile (Ref: ENT 54)
Last updated: 22/01/2023
(Also known as: cyano ether; vinyl cyanide; propene nitrile; 2-propenenitrle)
Acrylonitrile is a fumigant insecticide and is now considered obsolete. It is highly soluble in water and miscible with most organic solvents. It has a high potential for leaching to groundwater. It is not expected to be persistant in soil systems. Acrylonitrile has a high mammalian toxicity and is carcinogenic It is also a mutagen which may also cause adverse reproduction &/or development effects. Little is known about its ecotoxicology but it is moderately toxic to fish and aquatic invertebrates.
The following alerts are based on the data in the tables below. An absence of an alert does not imply the substance has no implications for human health, biodiversity or the environment but just that we do not have the data to form a judgement.
Environmental fate
Ecotoxicity
Human health
An obsolete pesticide that was used as a fumigant for insect control. It was also used for spot treatments in flour mills and bakeries.
Mites; Japanese beetle; Cigarette beetle; Tobacco moth; Flour beetle; Grain beetle
Stored grain; Dried fruit and nuts; Harvested tobacco; Food processing sites; Flour mills
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Considered obsolete but may be available in some countries
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Not approved
Not applicable
No UK approval for use
EC Regulation 1107/2009 (repealing 91/414)
Not approved
Not applicable
Not applicable
Not applicable
No
ATAustria
BEBelgium
BGBulgaria
CYCyprus
CZCzech Republic
DEGermany
DKDenmark
EEEstonia
ELGreece
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
ESSpain
FIFinland
FRFrance
HRCroatia
HUHungary
IEIreland
ITItaly
LTLithuania
LULuxembourg
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
LVLatvia
MTMalta
NLNetherlands
PLPoland
PTPortugal
RORomania
SESweden
SISlovenia
SKSlovakia
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
None
C₃H₃N
C=CC#N
No data
NLHHRLWOUZZQLW-UHFFFAOYSA-N
InChI=1S/C3H3N/c1-2-3-4/h2H,1H2
Yes
Cambridge Crystallographic Data Centre diagrams
Common Name
Relationship
Link
acrylonitrile
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Insecticide, Bactericide
Fumigant insecticide
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-
Synthetic
Respiratory action.
107-13-1
203-466-5
None allocated
000601
7855
608-003-00-4
53.06
prop-2-enenitrile
acrylonitrile
acrylonitrile
-
-
Not applicable
Not applicable
Not known
Not applicable
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Colourless to pale yellow liquid with a garlic type odour
American Cyanamid Co., Degesh Stauffer
Fumigant
76000
R4 R = Peer reviewed scientific publications 4 = Verified data
High
100000
R4 R = Peer reviewed scientific publications 4 = Verified data
Methanol
-
100000
R4 R = Peer reviewed scientific publications 4 = Verified data
Ethyl acetate
-
100000
R4 R = Peer reviewed scientific publications 4 = Verified data
Acetone
-
100000
R4 R = Peer reviewed scientific publications 4 = Verified data
Heptane
-
-84
R4 R = Peer reviewed scientific publications 4 = Verified data
-
77
R4 R = Peer reviewed scientific publications 4 = Verified data
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
1.20 X 10-01
Calculated
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-0.92
R4 R = Peer reviewed scientific publications 4 = Verified data
Low
-
-
-
-
-
-
0.81
R4 R = Peer reviewed scientific publications 4 = Verified data
-
-
-
-
-
1.37 X 1007
L3 L = Pesticide manuals and hard copy reference books / other sources 3 = Unverified data of known source
Highly volatile
0.063
R4 R = Peer reviewed scientific publications 4 = Verified data
Non-volatile
-
-
-
-
-
-
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15
Non-persistent
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-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Literature states degradation in activated sewage sludge is complete in 20 days
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-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Soil adsorption and mobility
-
R4 R = Peer reviewed scientific publications 4 = Verified data
Very mobile
9.0
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-
-
-
-
-
-
-
3.58
Calculated
High leachability
2.82 X 10-01
Calculated
-
-
Low
Calculated
-
Very mobile
Calculated
-
48
R4 R = Peer reviewed scientific publications 4 = Verified data
Low potential
Not available
-
Known soil and groundwater metabolites
None
2-cyanolethylene oxide
-
-
-
-
glycidonitrile
-
Rat
-
-
pyruvonitrile
-
Rat
-
-
cyanoacetaldehyde
-
Rat
-
-
cyanoacetic acid
-
Rat
-
-
2-cyanoethanol
-
Rat
-
-
glycoladehyde
-
Rat
-
-
Terrestrial ecotoxicology
78.0
R4 R = Peer reviewed scientific publications 4 = Verified data
Rat
High
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
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-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
10.1
R4 R = Peer reviewed scientific publications 4 = Verified data
Pimephales promelas
Moderate
-
-
-
7.6
R4 R = Peer reviewed scientific publications 4 = Verified data
Daphnia magna
Moderate
0.5
P4 P = Other governments and regulators 4 = Verified data
Daphnia magna
Moderate
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
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HUMAN HEALTH AND PROTECTION
High (class III)
-
-
78.0
R4 R = Peer reviewed scientific publications 4 = Verified data
Rat
High
-
-
-
-
-
-
Intravenous LD₅₀ = 69 mg kg⁻¹
R4 R = Peer reviewed scientific publications 4 = Verified data
Rabbit
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
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-
Acrylonitrile will permeate through the skin
EU MRL pesticide database 
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Excreted in the urine
-
Carcinogen
Endocrine disruptor
✓Yes, known to cause a problem
A0 A = Chromosome aberration (EFSA database) 0 = No data
; B0 B = DNA damage/repair (EFSA database) 0 = No data
; C0 C = Gene mutation (EFSA database) 0 = No data
; D0 D = Genome mutation (EFSA database) 0 = No data
; E1 E = Unspecified genotoxicity type (miscellaneous data source) 1 = Positive
No data found
Reproduction / development effects
Acetyl cholinesterase inhibitor
Neurotoxicant
✓Yes, known to cause a problem
No data found
No data found
Respiratory tract irritant
Skin irritant
Skin sensitiser
✓Yes, known to cause a problem
✓Yes, known to cause a problem
?Possibly, status not identified
Eye irritant
Phototoxicant
 
✓Yes, known to cause a problem
No data found
 
May cause light jaundice, leucoytosis, headaches and gastro-intestinal problems Liver and kidney toxicant IARC group 2B carcinogen
May emit toxic fumes of cyanide on heating May be explosive under some conditions Flammable
Health: H350, H331, H311, H301, H335, H315 Environment: H411
FM (Fumigant, not classified)
-
-
acrylonitrile
nitrile acrylique
Acrylnitril
-
Nitrile acrilico
-
-
-
-
-
acrylnitril
Record last updated:
22/01/2023
Contact:
aeru@herts.ac.uk
Please cite as:
Lewis, K.A., Tzilivakis, J., Warner, D. and Green, A. (2016) An international database for pesticide risk assessments and management. Human and Ecological Risk Assessment: An International Journal , 22 (4), 1050-1064. DOI: 10.1080/10807039.2015.1133242