Amitraz (Ref: ENT 27967)	Last updated: 22/08/2024
(Also known as: amitraze; amitrazum ; BTS 27419; BAAM; U-36059)

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SUMMARY

Amitraz is an amidine acaricide and insecticide. It is volatile, almost insoluble in water and, based on its chemical properties, is only slightly mobile with a low potential for leaching to groundwater. It is not persistent in soil systems, degradation being very rapid and would also not be expected to persistent in surface water under normal conditions. Amitraz has a moderate mammalian toxicity and there is some concern regarding its potential for bioaccumulation. It is considered to be a neurotoxin. Amitraz has a high to moderate toxicity to most terrestrial and aquatic species, the main exception being algae for which amitraz has a low level of toxicity.

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
Environmental fate Moderate alert: Drainflow: Slightly mobile	Ecotoxicity High alert: Fish chronic ecotoxicity: High; Daphnia acute ecotoxicity: High; Daphnia chronic ecotoxicity: High	Human health High alert: Neurotoxicant

GENERAL INFORMATION

Description	An amidine acaricide and insecticide for use in top fruit, ornamentals and some vegetables. Also has veterinary treatment applications.
Example pests controlled	Bollworm; Budworm; Red spider mites; Leaf miners; Scale insects; Aphids; Ticks; Psyllids; Varroa mite
Example applications	Fruit including apples, pears and plums; Ornamentals; Some vegetables; Cotton; Livestock; Bees
Efficacy & activity	-
Availability status	Current
Introduction & key dates	circa 1972, introduced

GB regulatory status

GB COPR regulatory status	Not approved
Date COPR inclusion expires	Expired
GB LERAP status	No UK approval for use as a plant protection agent

EC Regulation 1107/2009 (repealing 91/414)

EC Regulation 1107/2009 status	Not approved
Dossier rapporteur/co-rapporteur	Austria
Date EC 1107/2009 inclusion expires	Expired
EU Candidate for substitution (CfS)	-
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
Approved for use (✓) under EC 1107/2009 by Mutual Recognition of Authorisation and/or national regulations in the following EEA countries	ISIceland NONorway

Additional information

Also used in	Australia; USA

Chemical structure

Isomerism	None
Chemical formula	C₁₉H₂₃N₃
Canonical SMILES	CC1=CC(=C(C=C1)N=CN(C)C=NC2=C(C=C(C=C2)C)C)C
Isomeric SMILES	-
International Chemical Identifier key (InChIKey)	QXAITBQSYVNQDR-UHFFFAOYSA-N
International Chemical Identifier (InChI)	InChI=1S/C19H23N3/c1-14-6-8-18(16(3)10-14)20-12-22(5)13-21-19-9-7-15(2)11-17(19)4/h6-13H,1-5H3/b20-12+,21-13+
2D structure diagram/image available?	Yes

Cambridge Crystallographic Data Centre diagrams

Common Name	Relationship	Link
amitraz	-

General status

Pesticide type	Insecticide; Acaricide; Veterinary substance
Substance groups	Amidine insecticide; Formamidine insecticide
Minimum active substance purity	-
Known relevant impurities	-
Substance origin	Synthetic
Mode of action	Non-systemic having contact and respiratory action. Acts on nervous system. Octopamine receptor agonist.
CAS RN	33089-61-1
EC number	251-375-4
CIPAC number	362
US EPA chemical code	106201
PubChem CID	36324
CLP index number	612-086-00-2
Molecular mass	293.41
PIN (Preferred Identification Name)	N'-(2,4-dimethylphenyl)-N-{[(2,4-dimethylphenyl)imino]methyl}-N-methylmethanimidamide
IUPAC name	N,N'-[(methylimino)dimethylidyne]di-2,4-xylidine
CAS name	N'-(2,4-dimethylphenyl)-N-[[(2,4-dimethylphenyl)imino]methyl]-N-methylmethanimidamide
Other status information	PAN Bad Actor Chemical; Cannot be used on horses
Relevant Environmental Water Quality Standards	-
Herbicide Resistance Class (HRAC MoA class)	Not applicable
Herbicide Resistance Class (WSSA MoA class)	Not applicable
Insecticide Resistance Class (IRAC MoA class)	19
Fungicide Resistance Class (FRAC MOA class)	Not applicable
Examples of recorded resistance	Panonychus citri, Tetranychus cinnabarinus, Tetranychus urticae, Boophilus microplus, Cacopsylla pyri
Physical state	Straw coloured crystalline solid

Formulations

Property	Value
Example manufacturers & suppliers of products using this active now or historically	FCC Agropharm Kingtai Chemicals Makhteshim
Example products using this active	Mitac WP Triazid Amipaz Zamir
Formulation and application details	Usually supplied as emulsifiable concentrates or wettable powders for crop use and solutions for livestock topical administration

ENVIRONMENTAL FATE

Property		Value	Source; quality score; and other information	Interpretation
Solubility - In water at 20 °C (mg l⁻¹)		0.1	W4 W = French database provided by ARVALIS-Institut du Végétal. Dataset no longer available. 4 = Verified data	Low
Solubility - In organic solvents at 20 °C (mg l⁻¹)		-	-	-
Melting point (°C)		87	L3 L = Pesticide manuals and hard copy reference books / other sources 3 = Unverified data of known source	-
Boiling point (°C)		Decomposes before boiling	V3 V = ChemID Online Databases; Chemspider; PubChem. (ChemID ) 3 = Unverified data of known source	-
Degradation point (°C)		-	-	-
Flashpoint (°C)		-	-	-
Octanol-water partition coefficient at pH 7, 20 °C	P	3.16 X 1005	Calculated	-
	Log P	5.5	G4 G = Extension Toxicology network database EXTOXNET. Available online but no longer updated. (click here ) 4 = Verified data	High
Fat solubility of residues	Solubility	-	-	-
	Data type	-	-	-
Density (g ml⁻¹)		1.13	L3 L = Pesticide manuals and hard copy reference books / other sources 3 = Unverified data of known source	-
Dissociation constant pKa) at 25 °C		9.8	DW4 DW = Don Wauchope personal database for Pka data: Wauchope, R. D. and Edwards, J. Dissociation constants for pesticide active ingredients: a database and comparison with predicted values. Dataset is no longer available. 4 = Verified data	-
		Weak acid
Vapour pressure at 20 °C (mPa)		0.051	G4 G = Extension Toxicology network database EXTOXNET. Available online but no longer updated. (click here ) 4 = Verified data	Low volatility
Henry's law constant at 25 °C (Pa m³ mol⁻¹)		1.06	H4 H = The US ARS pesticide properties database. Dataset is no longer available. 4 = Verified data	Moderately volatile
Volatilisation as max % of applied dose lost	From plant surface	-	-	-
	From soil surface	-	-	-
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)	0.2	H4 H = The US ARS pesticide properties database. Dataset is no longer available. 4 = Verified data	Non-persistent
	DT₅₀ (lab at 20 °C)	0.2	H4 H = The US ARS pesticide properties database. Dataset is no longer available. 4 = Verified data	Non-persistent
	DT₅₀ (field)	1	H4 H = The US ARS pesticide properties database. Dataset is no longer available. 4 = Verified data	Non-persistent
	DT₉₀ (lab at 20 °C)	-	-	-
	DT₉₀ (field)	-	-	-
	DT₅₀ modelling endpoint	-	-	-
	Note	Literature DT₅₀ studies range 0.1-2 days
Dissipation rate RL₅₀ (days) on plant matrix	Value	-	-	-
	Note	-
Dissipation rate RL₅₀ (days) on and in plant matrix	Value	6.2	R4 R = Peer reviewed scientific publications 4 = Verified data	-
	Note	Published literature RL₅₀ range 5.0-7.3 days, 2 field crops, various matrices, n=2
Aqueous photolysis DT₅₀ (days) at pH 7	Value	-	L3 L = Pesticide manuals and hard copy reference books / other sources 3 = Unverified data of known source	-
	Note	Stable in UV light
Aqueous hydrolysis DT₅₀ (days) at 20 °C and pH 7	Value	1	L3 L = Pesticide manuals and hard copy reference books / other sources 3 = Unverified data of known source	Non-persistent
	Note	pH sensitive: DT₅₀ 2hrs at pH 5, 1.1 days at pH 9, rapid hydrolysis
Water-sediment DT₅₀ (days)		-	-	-
Water phase only DT₅₀ (days)		-	-	-
Sediment phase only DT₅₀ (days)		-	-	-
Air degradation		As this parameter is not normally measured directly, a surrogate measure is used: ‘Photochemical oxidative DT₅₀’. Where data is available, this can be found in the Fate Indices section below.
Decay in stored produce DT₅₀		-

Soil adsorption and mobility

Property		Value	Source; quality score; and other information	Interpretation
Linear	Kd (mL g⁻¹)	-	W3 W = French database provided by ARVALIS-Institut du Végétal. Dataset no longer available. 3 = Unverified data of known source	Slightly mobile
	Koc (mL g⁻¹)	1000
	Notes and range	-
Freundlich	Kf (mL g⁻¹)	-	-	-
	Kfoc (mL g⁻¹)	-
	1/n	-
	Notes and range	-
pH sensitivity		-

Fate indices

Property		Value	Source; quality score; and other information	Interpretation
GUS leaching potential index		0.00	Calculated	Low leachability
SCI-GROW groundwater index (μg l⁻¹) for a 1 kg ha⁻¹ or 1 l ha⁻¹ application rate	Value	1.92 X 10-04	Calculated	-
	Note	-
Potential for particle bound transport index		Low	Calculated	-
Potential for loss via drain flow		Slightly mobile	Calculated	-
Photochemical oxidative DT₅₀ (hrs) as indicator of long-range air transport risk		-	-	-
Bio-concentration factor	BCF (l kg⁻¹)	1838	F4 F = U.S. EPA ECOTOX database / U.S. EPA pesticide fate database / Miscellaneous WHO documents / FAO data, IPCS INCHEM data (US EPA Databases Related to Pesticide Risk Assessment ) 4 = Verified data	Threshold for concern
	CT₅₀ (days)	Not available		-

Known soil metabolites

Metabolite	Major/Minor fraction	Estimated maximum occurrence fraction	Notes
N'-(2,4-dimethylphenyl)-N-methyl-methanimidamide	Minor fraction	-	Aerobic
N-(2,4-dimethylphenyl)formamide	Minor fraction	-	Anaerobic
semiamitraz hydrochloride (Ref: BTS-27271)	Major fraction	-	-
2,4-dimethylformanilide (Ref: BTS 27919)	Minor fraction	-	-
2,4-dimethylbenzenamine	Minor fraction	-	Anaerobic
2,4-dimethylaniline	Minor fraction	-	Aerobic

Known groundwater metabolites

None

Other known metabolites

None

ECOTOXICOLOGY

Terrestrial ecotoxicology

Property		Value	Source; quality score; and other information	Interpretation
Mammals - Acute oral LD₅₀ (mg kg⁻¹)		800	F4 F = U.S. EPA ECOTOX database / U.S. EPA pesticide fate database / Miscellaneous WHO documents / FAO data, IPCS INCHEM data (US EPA Databases Related to Pesticide Risk Assessment ) 4 = Verified data Rat	Moderate
Mammals - Short term dietary NOEL	(mg kg⁻¹)	-	G3 G = Extension Toxicology network database EXTOXNET. Available online but no longer updated. (click here ) 3 = Unverified data of known source Rat 2 yr	-
	(ppm diet)	50		-
Mammals - Chronic 21d NOAEL (mg kg⁻¹ bw d⁻¹)		-	-	-
Birds - Acute LD₅₀ (mg kg⁻¹)		788	L3 L = Pesticide manuals and hard copy reference books / other sources 3 = Unverified data of known source Colinus virginianus	Moderate
Birds - Short term dietary (LC₅₀/LD₅₀)		-	-	-
Birds - Chronic 21d NOEL (mg kg⁻¹ bw d⁻¹)		-	-	-
Earthworms - Acute 14 day LC₅₀ (mg kg⁻¹)		1000	L3 L = Pesticide manuals and hard copy reference books / other sources 3 = Unverified data of known source	Moderate
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)	50	L3 L = Pesticide manuals and hard copy reference books / other sources 3 = Unverified data of known source Apis mellifera	Moderate
	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	-	-	-
	Notes	-
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 bee species (1)	Acute LD₅₀ (worst case from 24, 48 and 72 hour values - μg insect⁻¹)	-	-	-
	Mode of exposure	-
Other bee species (2)	Acute LD₅₀ (worst case from 24, 48 and 72 hour values - μg insect⁻¹)	-	-	-
	Mode of exposure	-
Beneficial insects (Ladybirds)		-	-	-
Beneficial insects (Lacewings)		Moderately harmful at dose 360 g ha⁻¹	AA3 AA = IOBC Database on classification of side effects to beneficial organisms, 2005 3 = Unverified data of known source Chrysoperla carnea	-
Beneficial insects (Parasitic wasps)		-	-	-
Beneficial insects (Predatory mites)		Harmful at dose 360 g ha⁻¹	AA3 AA = IOBC Database on classification of side effects to beneficial organisms, 2005 3 = Unverified data of known source Typhlodromus pyri	-
Beneficial insects (Ground beetles)		-	-	-

Aquatic ecotoxicology

Property		Value	Source; quality score; and other information	Interpretation
Temperate Freshwater Fish - Acute 96 hour LC₅₀ (mg l⁻¹)		0.74	L3 L = Pesticide manuals and hard copy reference books / other sources 3 = Unverified data of known source Oncorhynchus mykiss	Moderate
Temperate Freshwater Fish - Chronic 21 day NOEC (mg l⁻¹)		> 0.00353	F3 F = U.S. EPA ECOTOX database / U.S. EPA pesticide fate database / Miscellaneous WHO documents / FAO data, IPCS INCHEM data (US EPA Databases Related to Pesticide Risk Assessment ) 3 = Unverified data of known source Pimephales promelas	High
Tropical Freshwater Fish - Acute 96 hour LC₅₀ (mg l⁻¹)		4.25	F4 F = U.S. EPA ECOTOX database / U.S. EPA pesticide fate database / Miscellaneous WHO documents / FAO data, IPCS INCHEM data (US EPA Databases Related to Pesticide Risk Assessment ) 4 = Verified data Danio rerio	Moderate
Temperate Freshwater Aquatic invertebrates - Acute 48 hour EC₅₀ (mg l⁻¹)		0.035	L3 L = Pesticide manuals and hard copy reference books / other sources 3 = Unverified data of known source Daphnia magna	High
Temperate Freshwater Aquatic invertebrates - Chronic 21 day NOEC (mg l⁻¹)		0.002	F3 F = U.S. EPA ECOTOX database / U.S. EPA pesticide fate database / Miscellaneous WHO documents / FAO data, IPCS INCHEM data (US EPA Databases Related to Pesticide Risk Assessment ) 3 = Unverified data of known source Daphnia magna LOEC	High
Tropical Freshwater Aquatic invertebrates - Acute 48 hour EC₅₀ (mg l⁻¹)		-	-	-
Aquatic crustaceans - Acute 96 hour LC₅₀ (mg l⁻¹)		4.7	F3 F = U.S. EPA ECOTOX database / U.S. EPA pesticide fate database / Miscellaneous WHO documents / FAO data, IPCS INCHEM data (US EPA Databases Related to Pesticide Risk Assessment ) 3 = Unverified data of known source Americamysis bahia	Moderate
Sediment dwelling organisms - Acute 96 hour LC₅₀ (mg l⁻¹)		> 8.0	R3 R = Peer reviewed scientific publications 3 = Unverified data of known source Chironomus riparius 48 hr	Moderate
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 (free-floating, growth) - Acute 7 day EC₅₀, biomass (mg l⁻¹)		-	-	-
Aquatic plants (rooted, growth) - Acute 14 day EC₅₀, biomass (mg l⁻¹)		-	-	-
Algae - Acute 72 hour EC₅₀, growth (mg l⁻¹)		12	L3 L = Pesticide manuals and hard copy reference books / other sources 3 = Unverified data of known source Raphidocelis subcapitata	Low
Algae - Chronic 96 hour NOEC, growth (mg l⁻¹)		-	-	-
Mesocosm study data	NOEAEC mg l⁻¹	-	-	-
	NOEAEC mg l⁻¹	-	-	-
Marine bivalves		-	-	-

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)		800	F4 F = U.S. EPA ECOTOX database / U.S. EPA pesticide fate database / Miscellaneous WHO documents / FAO data, IPCS INCHEM data (US EPA Databases Related to Pesticide Risk Assessment ) 4 = Verified data Rat	Moderate
Mammals - Dermal LD₅₀ (mg kg⁻¹ body weight)		200	L3 L = Pesticide manuals and hard copy reference books / other sources 3 = Unverified data of known source Rabbit	-
Mammals - Inhalation LC₅₀ (mg l⁻¹)		65.0	L3 L = Pesticide manuals and hard copy reference books / other sources 3 = Unverified data of known source Rat	-
Other Mammal toxicity endpoints		Intraperitoneal LD₅₀ = 800 mg kg⁻¹	V3 V = ChemID Online Databases; Chemspider; PubChem. (ChemID ) 3 = Unverified data of known source Rat	-
ADI - Acceptable Daily Intake (mg kg⁻¹ bw day⁻¹)		0.003	A5 A = EU regulatory and evaluation data as published by EC, EFSA (RAR, DAR & Conclusion dossiers), EMA (e.g. EU Annex III PIC DGD) (EU - Pesticides database; EFSA Scientific Publications ) 5 = Verified data used for regulatory purposes	-
ARfD - Acute Reference Dose (mg kg⁻¹ bw day⁻¹)		0.01	A5 A = EU regulatory and evaluation data as published by EC, EFSA (RAR, DAR & Conclusion dossiers), EMA (e.g. EU Annex III PIC DGD) (EU - Pesticides database; EFSA Scientific Publications ) 5 = Verified data used for regulatory purposes	-
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	Occupational exposure may occur through inhalation and dermal contact
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		In mammals urine is the major route of excretion. 55-74% of the dose was excreted after dosing within first 24hrs	P4 P = Other non-EU, UK or US Governments and Regulators 4 = Verified data	-

Health issues

Specific human health issues		Carcinogen Genotoxic Endocrine disruptor ?Possibly, status not identified 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 ; E3 E = Unspecified genotoxicity type (miscellaneous data source) 3 = Negative ?Possibly, status not identified Reproduction / development effects Acetyl cholinesterase inhibitor Neurotoxicant ?Possibly, status not identified No data found ✓Yes, known to cause a problem Respiratory tract irritant Skin irritant Skin sensitiser XNo, known not to cause a problem ✓Yes, known to cause a problem ✓Yes, known to cause a problem Eye irritant Phototoxicant   XNo, known not to cause a problem No data found
General human health issues		Ingestion may cause slow heart beat, low blood pressure, sedation and low body temperature US EPA - possible human carcinogen

Handling issues

Property	Value and interpretation
General	Not expected to auto-ignite; Not highly flammable
CLP classification 2013	Health: H302, H317, H373 Environment: H400, H410
WHO Classification	II (Moderately hazardous)
UN Number	-
Waste disposal & packaging	-
Shelf-life, storage, stability and reactivity	-

TRANSLATIONS

Language	Name
English	amitraz
French	amitraze
German	Amitraz
Danish	amitraz
Italian	amitraz
Spanish	amitraz
Greek	amitraz
Polish	amitraz
Swedish	-
Hungarian	amitraz
Dutch	amitraz
Norwegian	-

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Record last updated:	22/08/2024
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