| furfural |
 |
Environmental Fate - Ecotoxicology - Human Health - A to Z Index - Home
GENERAL INFORMATION 
for furfural
Description: A fungicide and nematicide used to control root-infesting nematodes and fungal diseases in glasshouse soil
Example pests controlled: Plant parasitic nematodes
Example applications: Greenhouse soils; Cut flowers; Transplants; Ornamentals; Non-food plant commodities
Efficacy & activity: -
Availability status: Unknown
Introduction & key dates: circa 1925
EC Regulation 1107/2009 (repealing 91/414):
| Status | Not approved |
| Dossier rapporteur/co-rapporteur | UK |
| Date inclusion expires | Expired |
| EU Candidate for substitution (CfS) | - |
| Listed in EU database | Yes |
Approved for use (
) or known to be used (
) in the following European countries: 
AT |
BE |
BG |
CY |
CZ |
DE |
DK |
EE |
EL |
ES |
FI |
FR |
HR |
HU |
IE |
IT |
LT |
LU |
LV |
MT |
NL |
PL |
PT |
RO |
SE |
SI |
SK |
UK |
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Chemical structure:
| Isomerism | - |
| Chemical formula | C5H4O2 |
| Canonical SMILES | C1=COC(=C1)C=O |
| Isomeric SMILES | No data |
| International Chemical Identifier key (InChIKey) | HYBBIBNJHNGZAN-UHFFFAOYSA-N |
| International Chemical Identifier (InChI) | InChI=1S/C5H4O2/c6-4-5-2-1-3-7-5/h1-4H |
| 2D structure diagram/image available? | Yes |
General status:
| Pesticide type | Fungicide, Biocide, Nematicide | |||
| Substance group | Unclassified | |||
| Minimum active substance purity | - | |||
| Known relevant impurities | - | |||
| Substance origin | Synthetic | |||
| Mode of action | Fumigant, inhibits fungal and bacterial growth | |||
| CAS RN | 98-01-1 | |||
| EC number | 202-627-7 | |||
| CIPAC number | None allocated | |||
| US EPA chemical code | 043301 | |||
| PubChem CID | 7362 | |||
| Molecular mass (g mol-1) | 96.08 | |||
| PIN (Preferred Identification Name) | - | |||
| IUPAC name | 2-furaldehyde | |||
| CAS name | 2-furancarboxaldehyde | |||
| Other status information | EC 2232/96 Annex 1 registered as food flavouring agent | |||
| 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) | Not applicable | |||
| Examples of recorded resistance | - | |||
| Physical state | Colourless to yellow liquid | |||
| Related substances & organisms | - | |||
Formulations:
| Property |
Value | |||
| Example manufacturers & suppliers of products using this active now or historically |
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| Example products using this active |
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| UK LERAP status | No UK approval for use as a pesticide under EC Regulation 1107/2009 | |||
| Formulation and application details | Fumigant. | |||
ENVIRONMENTAL FATE
for furfural
| Property |
Value | Source/Quality Score/Other Information |
Interpretation |
|
| Solubility - In water at 20oC (mg l-1) | 78100 | F4 | High | |
| Solubility - In organic solvents at 20oC (mg l-1) | Miscible | F3 - Octanol | - | |
| Miscible | F3 - Acetone | - | ||
| Miscible | F3 - Xylene | - | ||
| Miscible | F3 - Ethyl acetate | - | ||
| Melting point (oC) | - | - | - | |
| Boiling point (oC) | 161.7 | F4 | - | |
| Degradation point (oC) | - | - | - | |
| Flashpoint (oC) | - | - | - | |
| Octanol-water partition coefficient at pH 7, 20oC | P | 2.57 X 1000 | Calculated | - |
| Log P | 0.41 | V3 | Low | |
| Bulk density (g ml-1)/Specific gravity | 1.16 | F3 | - | |
| Dissociation constant (pKa) at 25oC | Not applicable | F3 | - | |
| Note: No dissociation | ||||
| Vapour pressure at 20oC (mPa) | 29459 | Q2 | Highly volatile | |
| Henry's law constant at 25oC (Pa m3 mol-1) | 3.41 X 10-01 | V3 | Moderately volatile | |
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 | 7.34 X 10-04 | Calculated | - |
| Note | - | |||
| Potential for particle bound transport index |
- | Calculated | Low | |
| Maximum UV-vis absorption L mol-1 cm-1 | - | - | - | |
| Surface tension (mN m-1) | - | - | - | |
Degradation:
| Property |
Value | Source/Quality Score/Other Information |
Interpretation |
General biodegradability | - |
| Soil degradation (days) (aerobic) | DT50 (typical) | 1 | F3 | Non-persistent |
| DT50 (lab at 20oC) | - | - | - | |
| DT50 (field) | 1 | F3 | Non-persistent | |
| DT90 (lab at 20oC) | - | - | - | |
| DT90 (field) | - | - | - | |
| DT50 modelling endpoint | - | - | - | |
| Note | USA EPA studies Furfural degrades in <1day in sandy soils | |||
| 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 20oC and pH 7 | Value | - | - | - |
| Note | - | |||
| Water-sediment DT50 (days) | - | - | - | |
| Water phase only DT50 (days) | - | - | - | |
Soil adsorption and mobility:
| Property |
Value | Source/Quality Score/Other Information |
Interpretation |
|
| Linear | Kd | - | F3 | Mobile |
| Koc | 55 | |||
| Notes and range | US EPA dossier Koc range 52.2-56.9 mL/kg | |||
| Freundlich | Kf | - | - | - |
| Kfoc | - | |||
| 1/n | - | |||
| Notes and range | - | |||
| pH sensitivity | - | |||
| Property |
Value | Source/Quality Score/Other Information |
Interpretation |
|
| Bio-concentration factor | BCF (l kg-1) | Low risk | Q3 Based on LogP < 3 | Low potential |
| CT50 (days) | - | - | ||
| Mammals - Acute oral LD50 (mg kg-1) | > 175 | F4 Rat | Moderate | |
| Mammals - Short term dietary NOEL | (mg kg-1) | - | - | - |
| (ppm diet) | - | - | ||
| Birds - Acute LD50 (mg kg-1) | > 360.5 | F3 Anas platyrhynchos | Moderate | |
| Birds - Short term dietary (LC50/LD50) | - | - | - | |
| Fish - Acute 96 hour LC50 (mg l-1) | > 3.06 | F3 Oncorhynchus mykiss | Moderate | |
| Fish - Chronic 21 day NOEC (mg l-1) | - | - | - | |
| Aquatic invertebrates - Acute 48 hour EC50 (mg l-1) | > 20.4 | F3 Daphnia magna | Moderate | |
| Aquatic invertebrates - Chronic 21 day NOEC (mg l-1) | - | - | - | |
| Aquatic crustaceans - Acute 96 hour LC50 (mg l-1) | > 7.94 | F4 Americamysis bahia | Moderate | |
| 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) | - | - | - | |
| Non-target plants | - | - | - | |
| - | - | - | ||
| Algae - Acute 72 hour EC50, growth (mg l-1) | - | - | - | |
| Algae - Chronic 96 hour NOEC, growth (mg l-1) | - | - | - | |
| Honeybees | Contact acute 48 hour LD50 (μg bee-1) | - | - | - |
| Oral acute 48 hour LD50 (μg bee-1) | > 100 | F4 | Low | |
| Unknown mode acute 48 hour LD50 (μg bee-1) | - | - | - | |
| Earthworms - Acute 14 day LC50 (mg kg-1) | > 1000 | Q3 Eisenia foetida | Low | |
| Earthworms - Chronic 14 day NOEC, reproduction (mg kg-1) | - | - | - | |
| Other soil macro-organisms - e.g. Collembola | LR50 / EC50 / NOEC / % Effect | - | - | - |
| Other arthropod (1) | LR50 g ha-1 | - | - | - |
| % Effect | - | - | - | |
| Other arthropod (2) | LR50 g ha-1 | - | - | - |
| % Effect | - | - | - | |
| Soil micro-organisms | - | - | - | |
| Mesocosm study data | NOEAEC mg l-1 | - | - | - |
| NOEAEC mg l-1 | - | - | - | |
HUMAN HEALTH AND PROTECTION
for furfural
General:
| Property |
Value | Source/Quality Score/Other Information |
Interpretation |
|
| Threshold of Toxicological Concern (Cramer Class) |
High (class III) | - | - | |
| Mammals - Acute oral LD50 (mg kg-1) | > 175 | F4 Rat | Moderate | |
| Mammals - Dermal LD50 (mg kg-1 body weight) | > 2000 | F4 Rat | - | |
| Mammals - Inhalation LC50 (mg l-1) | > 0.54 | F4 Rat | - | |
| Other Mammal toxicity endpoints | - | - | ||
| ADI - Acceptable Daily Intake (mg kg-1bw day-1) | - | - | - | |
| ARfD - Acute Reference Dose (mg kg-1bw day-1) | - | - | - | |
| AAOEL - Acute Acceptable Operator Exposure Level (mg kg-1 bw day-1) | - | - | - | |
| AOEL - Acceptable Operator Exposure Level - Systemic (mg kg-1bw day-1) | - | - | - | |
| Dermal penetration studies (%) | - | - | - | |
| Dangerous Substances Directive 76/464 | - | - | - | |
| Exposure Limits | [UK LT TWA 8 hr: 2 ppm (8 mg/m3)], [UK STEL 15 mins: 5 ppm (20 mg/m3)] | UK EA QS database, 2018 | - | |
| Exposure Routes | Public | - | ||
| Occupational | Exposure can occur via inhalation, ingestion, skin contact, and absorption through the skin | |||
| European MRLs | Click here for the EU MRL pesticide database | |||
| Drinking Water Standards | - | - | - | |
| Drinking Water MAC (μg l-1) | - | - | - | |
Health issues:
| Carcinogen | Mutagen | Endocrine disrupter | Reproduction / development effects | Cholinesterase inhibitor | Neurotoxicant | |||
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| Respiratory tract irritant | Skin irritant | Skin sensitiser | Eye irritant | Phototoxicant | ||||
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| General human health issues | Highly toxic USEPA - probable human carcinogen |
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: Yes, known to cause a problem
: No, known not to cause a problem
: Possibly, status not identified
- : No data found
Handling issues:
| Property |
Value | Source/Quality Score/Other Information |
Interpretation |
|
| General |
No information available | |||
| CLP classification 2013 | - | |||
| EC Risk Classification |
Carcinogen category 3: R40 T - Toxic: R23/25 Xn - Harmful: R21 Xi - Irritant: R36/37 |
|||
| EC Safety Classification |
S1/2, S26, S36/37/39, S45 | |||
| WHO Classification | NL | - | Not listed | |
| US EPA Classification (formulation) | No consensus across products | - | - | |
| UN Number | - | |||
| Waste disposal & packaging |
- | |||
| Language | Name |
| English | furfural |
| French | furfural |
| German | Furfural |
| Danish | furfural |
| Italian | furfural |
| Spanish | furfural |
| Greek | - |
| Slovenian | furfural |
| Polish | furfural |
| Swedish | - |
| Hungarian | - |
| Dutch | - |
Record last updated: Wednesday 23 May 2018
Contact: aeru@herts.ac.uk