Mercuric oxide	Last updated: 24/01/2023
(Also known as: mercury oxide; mercury monoxide; red mercury)

---

SUMMARY

Data alerts

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
		Human health High alert: Mammals acute toxicity: High; Carcinogen; Reproduction/development effects; Neurotoxicant

GENERAL INFORMATION

Description	An obsolete multi-use fungicide that was used to control canker on trees and as a protectant following pruning or bark injuries
Example pests controlled	Canker; Pruning bark diseases
Example applications	Fruit and ornamental trees
Efficacy & activity	-
Availability status	Considered obsolete but may be available in some countries
Introduction & key dates	-

UK regulatory status

UK COPR regulatory status	Not approved
Date COPR inclusion expires	Not applicable
UK LERAP status	No UK approval for use

EC Regulation 1107/2009 (repealing 91/414)

EC Regulation 1107/2009 status	Not approved
Dossier rapporteur/co-rapporteur	Not applicable
Date EC 1107/2009 inclusion expires	Not applicable
EU Candidate for substitution (CfS)	Not applicable
Listed in EU database	Yes
Approved for use (✓) under EC 1107/2009 in the following EU Member States	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

Additional information

Also used in	-

Chemical structure

Isomerism	None
Chemical formula	HgO
Canonical SMILES	O=[Hg]
Isomeric SMILES	No data
International Chemical Identifier key (InChIKey)	UKWHYYKOEPRTIC-UHFFFAOYSA-N
International Chemical Identifier (InChI)	InChI=1S/Hg.O
2D structure diagram/image available?	Yes

General status

Pesticide type	Fungicide, Other substance
Other constituent type	Wound protectant, Bactericide
Substance groups	Inorganic compound
Minimum active substance purity	-
Known relevant impurities	-
Substance origin	Natural (but very rare)
Mode of action	Broad spectrum, strong toxin to most living organism
CAS RN	21908-53-2
Alternative/old CAS RN	1344-45-2
EC number	244-654-7
CIPAC number	None allocated
US EPA chemical code	052102
PubChem CID	30856
CLP index number	No data found
Molecular mass	216.61
PIN (Preferred Identification Name)	mercury(II) oxide
IUPAC name	mercury(II) oxide
CAS name	mercury oxide
Other status information	Banned in most countries due to high toxicity; Chemical subject to PIC regulations
Relevant Environmental Water Quality Standards	-
Herbicide Resistance Classification (HRAC)	Not applicable
Herbicide Resistance Classification (WSSA)	Not applicable
Insecticide Resistance Classification (IRAC)	Not applicable
Fungicide Resistance Classification (FRAC)	NC
Examples of recorded resistance	-
Physical state	Red coloured powdery solid

Formulations

Property	Value
Example manufacturers & suppliers of products using this active now or historically	Sandoz AG Novartis Bayer Zeneca
Example products using this active	Kankerdood Santar Kankertox
Formulation and application details	Usually painted on to infected or damaged wood

ENVIRONMENTAL FATE

Property		Value	Source; quality score; and other information	Interpretation
Solubility - In water at 20 °C (mg l⁻¹)		53.0	L3 L = Pesticide manuals and hard copy reference books / other sources 3 = Unverified data of known source	Moderate
Solubility - In organic solvents at 20 °C (mg l⁻¹)		-	-	-
Melting point (°C)		-	-	-
Boiling point (°C)		-	-	-
Degradation point (°C)		500	L3 L = Pesticide manuals and hard copy reference books / other sources 3 = Unverified data of known source	-
Flashpoint (°C)		-	-	-
Octanol-water partition coefficient at pH 7, 20 °C	P	-	-	-
	Log P	-	-	-
Fat solubility of residues	Solubility	-	-	-
	Data type	-	-	-
Density (g ml⁻¹)		-	-	-
Dissociation constant pKa) at 25 °C		-	-	-
		-
Vapour pressure at 20 °C (mPa)		-	-	-
Henry's law constant at 25 °C (Pa m³ mol⁻¹)		-	-	-
Maximum UV-vis absorption L mol⁻¹ cm⁻¹		-	-	-
Surface tension (mN m⁻¹)		-	-	-

Degradation

Property		Value	Source; quality score; and other information	Interpretation
General biodegradability		-
Soil degradation (days) (aerobic)	DT₅₀ (typical)	-	-	-
	DT₅₀ (lab at 20 °C)	-	-	-
	DT₅₀ (field)	-	-	-
	DT₉₀ (lab at 20 °C)	-	-	-
	DT₉₀ (field)	-	-	-
	DT₅₀ modelling endpoint	-	-	-
	Note	-
Dissipation rate RL₅₀ on plant matrix	Value	-	-	-
	Note	-
Dissipation rate RL₅₀ on and in plant matrix	Value	-	-	-
	Note	-
Aqueous photolysis DT₅₀ (days) at pH 7	Value	-	-	-
	Note	-
Aqueous hydrolysis DT₅₀ (days) at 20 °C and pH 7	Value	-	-	-
	Note	-
Water-sediment DT₅₀ (days)		-	-	-
Water phase only DT₅₀ (days)		-	-	-

Soil adsorption and mobility

Property		Value	Source; quality score; and other information	Interpretation
Linear	Kd	-	-	-
	Koc	-
	Notes and range	-
Freundlich	Kf	-	-	-
	Kfoc	-
	1/n	-
	Notes and range	-
pH sensitivity		-

Fate indices

Property		Value	Source; quality score; and other information	Interpretation
GUS leaching potential index		-	-	-
SCI-GROW groundwater index (μg l⁻¹) for a 1 kg ha⁻¹ or 1 l ha⁻¹ application rate	Value	Cannot be calculated	-	-
	Note	-
Potential for particle bound transport index		-	-	-
Potential for loss via drain flow		-	-	-
Bio-concentration factor	BCF (l kg⁻¹)	-	-	-
	CT₅₀ (days)	-		-

Known metabolites

None

ECOTOXICOLOGY

Terrestrial ecotoxicology

Property		Value	Source; quality score; and other information	Interpretation
Mammals - Acute oral LD₅₀ (mg kg⁻¹)		18.0	L3 L = Pesticide manuals and hard copy reference books / other sources 3 = Unverified data of known source Rat	High
Mammals - Short term dietary NOEL	(mg kg⁻¹)	-	-	-
	(ppm diet)	-		-
Mammals - Chronic 21d NOAEL (mg kg⁻¹ bw d⁻¹)		-	-	-
Birds - Acute LD₅₀ (mg kg⁻¹)		-	-	-
Birds - Short term dietary (LC₅₀/LD₅₀)		-	-	-
Birds - Chronic 21d NOEL (mg kg⁻¹ bw d⁻¹)		-	-	-
Earthworms - Acute 14 day LC₅₀ (mg kg⁻¹)		-	-	-
Earthworms - Chronic NOEC, reproduction (mg kg⁻¹)		-	-	-
Soil micro-organisms		-	-	-
Collembola	Acute LC₅₀ (mg kg⁻¹)	-	-	-
	Chronic NOEC (mg kg⁻¹)	-	-	-
Non-target plants		-	-	-
		-	-	-
Honeybees (Apis spp.)	Contact acute LD₅₀ (worst case from 24, 48 and 72 hour values - μg bee⁻¹)	-	-	-
	Oral acute LD₅₀ (worst case from 24, 48 and 72 hour values - μg bee⁻¹)	-	-	-
	Unknown mode acute LD₅₀ (worst case from 24, 48 and 72 hour values - μg bee⁻¹)	-	-	-
	Chronic	-	-	-
Bumblebees (Bombus spp.)	Contact acute LD₅₀ (worst case from 24, 48 and 72 hour values - μg bee⁻¹)	-	-	-
		-
	Oral acute LD₅₀ (worst case from 24, 48 and 72 hour values - μg bee⁻¹)	-	-	-
		-
Mason bees (Osmia spp.)	Contact acute LD₅₀ (worst case from 24, 48 and 72 hour values - μg bee⁻¹)	-	-	-
	Oral acute LD₅₀ (worst case from 24, 48 and 72 hour values - μg bee⁻¹)	-	-	-
Other pollinators (1)	Acute LD₅₀ (worst case from 24, 48 and 72 hour values - μg insect⁻¹)	-	-	-
	Mode of exposure	-
Other pollinators (2)	Acute LD₅₀ (worst case from 24, 48 and 72 hour values - μg insect⁻¹)	-	-	-
	Mode of exposure	-
Beneficial insects (Ladybirds)		-	-	-
Beneficial insects (Lacewings)		-	-	-
Beneficial insects (Parasitic wasps)		-	-	-
Beneficial insects (Predatory mites)		-	-	-
Beneficial insects (Ground beetles)		-	-	-

Aquatic ecotoxicology

Property		Value	Source; quality score; and other information	Interpretation
Fish - Acute 96 hour LC₅₀ (mg l⁻¹)		-	-	-
Fish - Chronic 21 day NOEC (mg l⁻¹)		-	-	-
Aquatic invertebrates - Acute 48 hour EC₅₀ (mg l⁻¹)		-	-	-
Aquatic invertebrates - Chronic 21 day NOEC (mg l⁻¹)		-	-	-
Aquatic crustaceans - Acute 96 hour LC₅₀ (mg l⁻¹)		-	-	-
Sediment dwelling organisms - Acute 96 hour LC₅₀ (mg l⁻¹)		-	-	-
Sediment dwelling organisms - Chronic 28 day NOEC, static, water (mg l⁻¹)		-	-	-
Sediment dwelling organisms - Chronic 28 day NOEC, sediment (mg kg⁻¹)		-	-	-
Aquatic plants - Acute 7 day EC₅₀, biomass (mg l⁻¹)		-	-	-
Algae - Acute 72 hour EC₅₀, growth (mg l⁻¹)		-	-	-
Algae - Chronic 96 hour NOEC, growth (mg l⁻¹)		-	-	-
Mesocosm study data	NOEAEC mg l⁻¹	-	-	-
	NOEAEC mg l⁻¹	-	-	-

HUMAN HEALTH AND PROTECTION

General

Property		Value	Source; quality score; and other information	Interpretation
Threshold of Toxicological Concern (Cramer Class)		High (class III)	-	-
Mammals - Acute oral LD₅₀ (mg kg⁻¹)		18.0	L3 L = Pesticide manuals and hard copy reference books / other sources 3 = Unverified data of known source Rat	High
Mammals - Dermal LD₅₀ (mg kg⁻¹ body weight)		315	V3 V = ChemID online databases / IPCS INCHEM (ChemID; IPCS INCHEM ) 3 = Unverified data of known source Rat	-
Mammals - Inhalation LC₅₀ (mg l⁻¹)		-	-	-
Other Mammal toxicity endpoints		Intraperitoneal LD₅₀ = 4.5 mg kg⁻¹	V3 V = ChemID online databases / IPCS INCHEM (ChemID; IPCS INCHEM ) 3 = Unverified data of known source Rat	-
ADI - Acceptable Daily Intake (mg kg⁻¹ bw day⁻¹)		-	-	-
ARfD - Acute Reference Dose (mg kg⁻¹ bw day⁻¹)		-	-	-
AAOEL - Acute Acceptable Operator Exposure Level (mg kg⁻¹ bw day⁻¹)		-	-	-
AOEL - Acceptable Operator Exposure Level - Systemic (mg kg⁻¹ bw day⁻¹)		-	-	-
Dermal penetration studies (%)		-	-	-
Dangerous Substances Directive 76/464		-	-	-
Exposure Routes	Public	-
	Occupational	-
MRLs	European	EU MRL pesticide database
	Great Britain	GB MRL Register
	Notes	-
Drinking Water Standards		-	-	-
Drinking Water MAC (μg l⁻¹)		-	-	-
Mammalian dose elimination route and rate		-	-	-

Health issues

Specific human health issues		Carcinogen Genotoxic 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 XNo, known not to cause a problem ✓Yes, known to cause a problem Respiratory tract irritant Skin irritant Skin sensitiser ✓Yes, known to cause a problem ✓Yes, known to cause a problem No data found Eye irritant Phototoxicant   ✓Yes, known to cause a problem No data found
General human health issues		Highly toxic by all exposure routes Very short exposure to small quantities may cause death or permanent injury

Handling issues

Property	Value and interpretation
General	Fumes from fire may contain poisonous mercury vapour Corrosive Substance is light sensitive
CLP classification 2013	-
WHO Classification	Ib (Highly hazardous)
UN Number	1641
Waste disposal & packaging	-

TRANSLATIONS

Language	Name
English	mercuric oxide
French	oxyde mercurique
German	-
Danish	-
Italian	-
Spanish	-
Greek	-
Polish	-
Swedish	-
Hungarian	-
Dutch	-

---

Record last updated:	24/01/2023
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