| benfluralin (Ref: EL-110) |
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SUMMARY
Benfluralin is a pre-emergence herbicide that has EU regulatory approval for use. It has a low aqueous solubility and is quite volatile. It is not expected to leach to groundwater. It is moderately persistent in soil systems and not usually persistent in water. It has a low mammalian toxicity but there is concern regarding its potential to bioaccumulate. It is moderately toxic to birds, honeybees, earthworms and most aquatic organisms. GENERAL INFORMATION
for benfluralin
Description: A pre-emergence herbicide used for grass and other weed control in a range of edible and non-food crops
Example pests controlled: Johnssongrass; Chickweed; Lambsquarter; Purslane; Knotweed; Clover; Pigweed; Plantains
Example applications: Alfalfa; Turf; Lettuce; Ornamentals including Christmas trees; Non-bearing fruit and nut trees; Non-cropped areas such as rights-of-way, pavements, railways
Availability status: Current
Introduction & key dates: 1963, USA
EC Regulation 1107/2009 (repealing 91/414):
| Status | Approved |
| Dossier rapporteur/co-rapporteur | Belgium |
| Date inclusion expires | 28/02/2019 |
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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| Pesticide type | Herbicide | |
| Substance group | Dinitroaniline | |
| Minimum active substance purity | 960 kg/kg | |
| Known relevant impurities | EU dossier - ethyl-butyl-nitrosamine: < 0.1 mg/kg | |
| Substance origin | Synthetic | |
| Mode of action | Microtubule assembly inhibition | |
| CAS RN | 1861-40-1 | |
| EC number | 217-465-2 | |
| CIPAC number | 285 | |
| US EPA chemical code | 084301 | |
| Chiral molecule | No | |
| Chemical formula | C13H16F3N3O4 | |
| SMILES | [O-][N+](=O)c1cc(cc([N+]([O-])=O)c1N(CCCC)CC)C(F)(F)F | |
| International Chemical Identifier key (InChIKey) | SMDHCQAYESWHAE-UHFFFAOYSA-N | |
| International Chemical Identifier (InChI) | InChI=1S/C13H16F3N3O4/c1-3-5-6-17(4-2)12-10(18(20)21)7-9(13(14,15)16)8-11(12)19(22)23/h7-8H,3-6H2,1-2H3 | |
| Structure diagram/image available? | Yes | |
| Molecular mass (g mol-1) | 335.28 | |
| PIN (Preferred Identification Name) | N-butyl-N-ethyl-2,6-dinitro-4-(trifluoromethyl)aniline | |
| IUPAC name | N-butyl-N-ethyl-α,α,α-trifluoro-2,6-dinitro-p-toluidine | |
| CAS name | N-butyl-N-ethyl-2,6-dinitro-4-(trifluoromethyl)benzenamine | |
| Other status information | OSPAR soc | |
| Herbicide Resistance Classification (HRAC) | K1 | |
| Herbicide Resistance Classification (WSSA) | 3 | |
| Insecticide Resistance Classification (IRAC) | Not applicable | |
| Fungicide Resistance Classification (FRAC) | Not applicable | |
| Examples of recorded resistance | - | |
| Physical state | Colourless to yellow crystals depending on purity | |
| Related substances & organisms | ||
Formulations:
ENVIRONMENTAL FATE
for benfluralin
Key metabolites:
| Metabolite | Formation medium | Estimated maximum occurrence fraction | 91/414 relevancy ![]() |
|
| 2,6-dinitro-4-(trifluoromethyl)phenol | Soil | 0.052 | Minor, Relevancy unknown | |
Other known metabolites:
| Metabolite name and reference | Aliases | Formation medium / Rate | Estimated maximum occurrence fraction | Metabolising enzymes |
| 3-nitro-5(trifluoromethyl)-1,2-benzenediamine | des-alkylbenfluralin diamine | Water (Photolysis) | 0.115 | - |
| 4-nitro-2-propyl-6-(trifluoromethyl)-1H-benzimidazole | propyl benzimidazole | Water (Photolysis) | 0.164 | - |
| 2-methyl-4-nitro-6-(trifluoromethyl)-1H-benzimidazole | methyl benzimidazole | Water (Photolysis) | 0.114 | - |
| 1-ethyl-7-nitro-2-prpyl-5-(trifluoromethyl)-1H-benzimidazole | ethyl propyl benzimidazole; U6#1 | Water (Photolysis) | 0.195 | - |
| N2-butyl-N2-ethyl-3-nitro-5-(trifluoromethyl)-benzene-1,2-diamine | benfluralin diamine | Rat | - | - |
| N2-butyl-N2-ethyl-5-(trifluoromethyl)-1,2,3-benzenetriamine | - | Rat | - | - |
HUMAN HEALTH AND PROTECTION
for benfluralin
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) | > 5000 | A5 Rat | Low | |
| Mammals - Dermal LD50 (mg kg-1 body weight) | > 5000 | A5 Rabbit | - | |
| Mammals - Inhalation LC50 (mg l-1) | 2.16 | A5 Rat | - | |
| Other Mammal toxicity endpoints | - | - | ||
| ADI - Acceptable Daily Intake (mg kg-1bw day-1) | 0.005 | A5 Rat, SF=100 | - | |
| ARfD - Acute Reference Dose (mg kg-1bw day-1) | None allocated | A5 | - | |
| AOEL - Acceptable Operator Exposure Level - Systemic (mg kg-1bw day-1) | 0.005 | A5 | - | |
| Dermal penetration studies (%) | 0.6-4.5 | A5 concentration dependant | - | |
| Dangerous Substances Directive 76/464 | List II | - | - | |
| Exposure Limits | - | - | - | |
| Exposure Routes | Public | Negligible risk to bystanders | ||
| Occupational | PPE/PPC required for operators and other farm workers | |||
| European MRLs | Click here for the EU MRL pesticide database | |||
| 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 | Possible liver and kidney toxicant | |||||||
: Yes, known to cause a problem
: No, known not to cause a problem
: Possibly, status not identified
- : No data found
Handling issues:
| Language | Name |
| English | benfluralin |
| French | benfluraline |
| German | Benfluralin |
| Danish | benfluralin |
| Italian | benfluralin |
| Spanish | benfluralina |
| Greek | - |
| Slovenian | benfluralin |
| Polish | benfluralina |
| Swedish | - |
| Hungarian | benfluralin |
| Dutch | - |
Record last updated: Monday 15 August 2016
Contact: aeru@herts.ac.uk


