Acifluorfen (Ref: RH 5781)	Last updated: 24/07/2024
(Also known as: acifluorofen; acifluorfen metabolite; lactofen metabolite; PPG 847; carbofluorfen)

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SUMMARY

Acifluorfen is a post-emergence herbicide, usually used as the sodium salt. It is highly soluble in water, with a low vapour pressure and may be moderately persistent in soils and water depending upon conditions. Based on its chemical properties it has a high potential for leaching to groundwater. It has a low to moderate toxicity to most biodiversity. It is not highly toxic to human but is known to be a skin and eye irritant.

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 High alert: GUS: High leachability Warning: Significant data are missing	Ecotoxicity Moderate alert: Fish acute ecotoxicity: Moderate; Daphnia acute ecotoxicity: Moderate	Human health Moderate alert: Mammals acute toxicity: Moderate; Possible Carcinogen; Reproduction/development effects

GENERAL INFORMATION

Description	Post emergence herbicide, usually used as the sodium salt; particularly effective against broad-leaved weeds and grasses. Also a pesticide transformation product.
Example pests controlled	Carpetweed; Balloonvine; Wild buckwheat; Cocklebur; Ladysthumb; Lambsquarters; Copperleaf; Morning glory; Moonflower; Nightshade; Pigweed; Foxtails
Example applications	Soybean; Peanuts; Rice
Efficacy & activity	-
Availability status	Current
Introduction & key dates	1980, registered USA

GB regulatory status

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

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	Expired
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
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	-

Chemical structure

Isomerism	None
Chemical formula	C₁₄H₇ClF₃NO₅
Canonical SMILES	C1=CC(=C(C=C1C(F)(F)F)Cl)OC2=CC(=C(C=C2)[N+](=O)[O-])C(=O)O
Isomeric SMILES	No data
International Chemical Identifier key (InChIKey)	NUFNQYOELLVIPL-UHFFFAOYSA-N
International Chemical Identifier (InChI)	InChI=1S/C14H7ClF3NO5/c15-10-5-7(14(16,17)18)1-4-12(10)24-8-2-3-11(19(22)23)9(6-8)13(20)21/h1-6H,(H,20,21)
2D structure diagram/image available?	Yes

Cambridge Crystallographic Data Centre diagrams

Common Name	Relationship	Link
acifluorfen	-

General status

Pesticide type	Herbicide, Metabolite
Metabolite Type	Soil
Substance groups	Nitrophenyl ether herbicide
Minimum active substance purity	-
Known relevant impurities	-
Substance origin	Synthetic
Mode of action	Contact action. Inhibition of protoporphyrinogen oxidase (PPO) - cell membrane disruption
CAS RN	50594-66-6
EC number	256-634-5
CIPAC number	497
US EPA chemical code	114401
PubChem CID	44073
CLP index number	604-041-00-0
Molecular mass	361.66
PIN (Preferred Identification Name)	5-[2-chloro-4-(trifluoromethyl)phenoxy]-2-nitrobenzoic acid
IUPAC name	5-(2-chloro-α,α,α-trifluoro-p-tolyloxy)-2-nitrobenzoic acid
CAS name	5-[2-chloro-4-(trifluoromethyl)phenoxy]-2-nitrobenzoic acid
Other status information	Chemical subject to PIC regulations; Potential groundwater pollutant; PAN Bad Actor
Relevant Environmental Water Quality Standards	-
Herbicide Resistance Class (HRAC MoA class)	E
Herbicide Resistance Class (WSSA MoA class)	14
Insecticide Resistance Class (IRAC MoA class)	Not applicable
Fungicide Resistance Class (FRAC MOA class)	Not applicable
Examples of recorded resistance	-
Physical state	Off-white coloured solid
Related substances & organisms	acifluorfen-methyl acifluorfen-sodium fluoroglycofen lactofen

Can be a metabolite of:

Parent	Formation medium	Estimated maximum occurrence fraction	1107/2009 relevancy
fluoroglycofen	Soil	-	-
acifluorfen-sodium	Soil	-	Major fraction
lactofen	Soil	-	-
acifluorfen-methyl	Soil	-	Major fraction

Formulations

Property	Value
Example manufacturers & suppliers of products using this active now or historically	Rohm and Haas United Phosphorus
Example products using this active	Blazer Tackle
Formulation and application details	-

ENVIRONMENTAL FATE

Property		Value	Source; quality score; and other information	Interpretation
Solubility - In water at 20 °C (mg l⁻¹)		250000	G3 G = Extension Toxicology network database EXTOXNET. Available online but no longer updated. (click here ) 3 = Unverified data of known source	High
Solubility - In organic solvents at 20 °C (mg l⁻¹)		50000	Q2 Q = Miscellaneous data from online sources 2 = Unverified data of unknown source Acetone	-
		1000	Q2 Q = Miscellaneous data from online sources 2 = Unverified data of unknown source n-Hexane	-
Melting point (°C)		155	G3 G = Extension Toxicology network database EXTOXNET. Available online but no longer updated. (click here ) 3 = Unverified data of known source	-
Boiling point (°C)		-	-	-
Degradation point (°C)		235	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	1.51 X 1001	Calculated	-
	Log P	1.18	G3 G = Extension Toxicology network database EXTOXNET. Available online but no longer updated. (click here ) 3 = Unverified data of known source	Low
Fat solubility of residues	Solubility	-	-	-
	Data type	-	-	-
Density (g ml⁻¹)		-	-	-
Dissociation constant pKa) at 25 °C		3.86	R3 R = Peer reviewed scientific publications 3 = Unverified data of known source	-
		Weak acid
Vapour pressure at 20 °C (mPa)		0.133	G3 G = Extension Toxicology network database EXTOXNET. Available online but no longer updated. (click here ) 3 = Unverified data of known source	Low volatility. If applied directly to plants, drift is a concern & mitigation is advisable
Henry's law constant at 25 °C (Pa m³ mol⁻¹)		-	-	-
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)	54	G3 G = Extension Toxicology network database EXTOXNET. Available online but no longer updated. (click here ) 3 = Unverified data of known source	Moderately persistent
	DT₅₀ (lab at 20 °C)	-	-	-
	DT₅₀ (field)	-	-	-
	DT₉₀ (lab at 20 °C)	-	-	-
	DT₉₀ (field)	-	-	-
	DT₅₀ modelling endpoint	-	-	-
	Note	Other sources: DT₅₀ 108 (silt loam) - 200 (clay) days (R3)
Dissipation rate RL₅₀ (days) on plant matrix	Value	-	-	-
	Note	-
Dissipation rate RL₅₀ (days) on and in plant matrix	Value	-	-	-
	Note	-
Aqueous photolysis DT₅₀ (days) at pH 7	Value	4	G3 G = Extension Toxicology network database EXTOXNET. Available online but no longer updated. (click here ) 3 = Unverified data of known source	Moderately fast
	Note	-
Aqueous hydrolysis DT₅₀ (days) at 20 °C and pH 7	Value	Stable	G3 G = Extension Toxicology network database EXTOXNET. Available online but no longer updated. (click here ) 3 = Unverified data of known source	Stable
	Note	-
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)	-	G2 G = Extension Toxicology network database EXTOXNET. Available online but no longer updated. (click here ) 2 = Unverified data of unknown source	Moderately mobile
	Koc (mL g⁻¹)	113
	Notes and range	-
Freundlich	Kf (mL g⁻¹)	13.2	R4 R = Peer reviewed scientific publications 4 = Verified data	Moderately mobile
	Kfoc (mL g⁻¹)	160
	1/n	1.05
	Notes and range	Literature data: Kf range 0.57-43.11 mL g⁻¹, Kfoc range 65.3-291.3 mL.g, 1/n range 0.952-1.190, Soils=5
pH sensitivity		-

Fate indices

Property		Value	Source; quality score; and other information	Interpretation
GUS leaching potential index		3.11	Calculated	High leachability
SCI-GROW groundwater index (μg l⁻¹) for a 1 kg ha⁻¹ or 1 l ha⁻¹ application rate	Value	3.53 X 10-01	Calculated	-
	Note	-
Potential for particle bound transport index		Medium	Calculated	-
Potential for loss via drain flow		Moderately mobile	Calculated	-
Photochemical oxidative DT₅₀ (hrs) as indicator of long-range air transport risk		-	-	-
Bio-concentration factor	BCF (l kg⁻¹)	Low risk	Q3 Q = Miscellaneous data from online sources 3 = Unverified data of known source Based on LogP < 3	Low risk
	CT₅₀ (days)	-		-

Known metabolites

None

ECOTOXICOLOGY

Terrestrial ecotoxicology

Property		Value	Source; quality score; and other information	Interpretation
Mammals - Acute oral LD₅₀ (mg kg⁻¹)		1370	G3 G = Extension Toxicology network database EXTOXNET. Available online but no longer updated. (click here ) 3 = Unverified data of known source Rat	Moderate
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)		2821	G3 G = Extension Toxicology network database EXTOXNET. Available online but no longer updated. (click here ) 3 = Unverified data of known source Anas platyrhynchos	Low
Birds - Short term dietary (LC₅₀/LD₅₀)		-	-	-
Birds - Chronic 21d NOEL (mg kg⁻¹ bw d⁻¹)		-	-	-
Earthworms - Acute 14 day LC₅₀ (mg kg⁻¹)		> 1800	L3 L = Pesticide manuals and hard copy reference books / other sources 3 = Unverified data of known source Eisenia foetida as sodium salt	Low
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)	> 100	G2 G = Extension Toxicology network database EXTOXNET. Available online but no longer updated. (click here ) 2 = Unverified data of unknown source	Low
	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)		-	-	-
Beneficial insects (Parasitic wasps)		-	-	-
Beneficial insects (Predatory mites)		-	-	-
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)		54	G3 G = Extension Toxicology network database EXTOXNET. Available online but no longer updated. (click here ) 3 = Unverified data of known source Oncorhynchus mykiss	Moderate
Temperate Freshwater Fish - Chronic 21 day NOEC (mg l⁻¹)		-	-	-
Tropical Freshwater Fish - Acute 96 hour LC₅₀ (mg l⁻¹)		-	-	-
Temperate Freshwater Aquatic invertebrates - Acute 48 hour EC₅₀ (mg l⁻¹)		28	E3 E = Manufacturers safety data sheets 3 = Unverified data of known source Daphnia magna	Moderate
Temperate Freshwater Aquatic invertebrates - Chronic 21 day NOEC (mg l⁻¹)		-	-	-
Tropical Freshwater Aquatic invertebrates - Acute 48 hour EC₅₀ (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 (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)		-	-	-
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)		1370	G3 G = Extension Toxicology network database EXTOXNET. Available online but no longer updated. (click here ) 3 = Unverified data of known source Rat	Moderate
Mammals - Dermal LD₅₀ (mg kg⁻¹ body weight)		2000	G3 G = Extension Toxicology network database EXTOXNET. Available online but no longer updated. (click here ) 3 = Unverified data of known source Rabbit	-
Mammals - Inhalation LC₅₀ (mg l⁻¹)		6.9	G3 G = Extension Toxicology network database EXTOXNET. Available online but no longer updated. (click here ) 3 = Unverified data of known source Rat 4 hr	-
Other Mammal toxicity endpoints		-	-	-
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 ?Possibly, status not identified A3 A = Chromosome aberration (EFSA database) 3 = Negative ; 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 No data found Reproduction / development effects Acetyl cholinesterase inhibitor Neurotoxicant ?Possibly, status not identified XNo, known not to cause a problem XNo, known not to cause a problem Respiratory tract irritant Skin irritant Skin sensitiser No data found ✓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		Slightly toxic Liver, heart, and kidney toxicant at high doses Published studies suggest substance is carcinogenic

Handling issues

Property	Value and interpretation
General	Not expected to auto-ignite; Not highly flammable
CLP classification 2013	Health: H302, H315, H318 Environment: H400, H410
WHO Classification	II (Moderately hazardous)
UN Number	-
Waste disposal & packaging	-
Shelf-life, storage, stability and reactivity	-

TRANSLATIONS

Language	Name
English	acifluorfen
French	-
German	-
Danish	acifluorfen
Italian	-
Spanish	acifluorfen
Greek	-
Polish	acifluorfen
Swedish	-
Hungarian	acifluorfen
Dutch	-
Norwegian	-

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Record last updated:	24/07/2024
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