Bensulfuron (Ref: IN R9419) |
![]() Last updated: 28/07/2025 |
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(Also known as: free acid bensulfuron-methyl) |
SUMMARY |
Bensulfuron is a herbicide normally used as the methyl variant. It is not expected to be persistent in soil and as it is considered moderately mobile there are some risks of leaching to groundwater. Based on its physico-chemical properties there may also be a risk of bio-concentration. Its is moderately toxic to aquatic plants and to earthworms. |
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 |
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A pyrimidinylsulfonylurea herbicide used to control annual and perennial weeds and sedges. Usually used as the methyl variant. Pesticide transformation product. | |
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Pigweed; Chickweed; Wild mustard; Stinkgrass; Barnyardgrass; Rice flatsedge; Dwarf umbrella grass; Nut-grass; Creeping water primrose | |
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Cereals especially wheat; Rice | |
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- | |
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Current | |
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1985, introduced |
GB regulatory status |
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Approved | ||
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31/10/2031 | ||
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No UK approval for use as a plant protection agent |
EC Regulation 1107/2009 (repealing 91/414) |
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Approved | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Italy/Spain | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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15/08/2026 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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No | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Yes | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Additional information |
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Chemical structure |
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None | |
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C₁₅H₁₆N₄O₇S | |
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COC1=CC(=NC(=N1)NC(=O)NS(=O)(=O)CC2=CC=CC=C2C(=O)O)OC | |
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No data | |
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PPWBRCCBKOWDNB-UHFFFAOYSA-N | |
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InChI=1S/C15H16N4O7S/c1-25-11-7-12(26-2)17-14(16-11)18-15(22)19-27(23,24)8-9-5-3-4-6-10(9)13(20)21/h3-7H,8H2,1-2H3,(H,20,21)(H2,16,17,18,19,22) | |
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Yes |
General status |
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Herbicide; Metabolite | |
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Soil; Surface water; Sediment; Groundwater | |
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Sulfonylurea herbicide; Pyrimidinylsulfonylurea herbicide | |
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- | |
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EU dossier - None declared | |
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Synthetic | |
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Selective, systemic action being absorbed through foliage and roots. Inhibits plant amino acid synthesis - acetohydroxyacid synthase AHAS | |
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99283-01-9 | |
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874-914-0 | |
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502 | |
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Not listed | |
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107828 | |
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607-178-00-4 | |
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396.38 | |
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2-({[(4,6-dimethoxypyrimidin-2-yl)carbamoyl]sulfamoyl}methyl)benzoic acid | |
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α-[(4,6-dimethoxypyrimidin-2-ylcarbamoyl)sulfamoyl]-o-toluic acid | |
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2-[[[[[(4,6-dimethoxy-2-pyrimidinyl)amino]carbonyl]amino]sulfonyl]methyl]benzoic acid | |
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- | |
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- | |
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B | |
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2 | |
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Not applicable | |
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Not applicable | |
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Formulations |
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Usually formulated as the methyl variant |
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67 | A4 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 ) as methyl variant4 = Verified data |
Moderate | ||||||||
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6.17 X 1000 | Calculated | - | |||||||
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0.79 | A4 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 ) as methyl variant4 = Verified data |
Low | ||||||||
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1.52 | Q2 Q = Miscellaneous data from online sources 2 = Unverified data of unknown source |
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4.99 X 10-03 | A4 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 ) as methyl variant4 = Verified data |
Low volatility | ||||||||
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Degradation |
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Not readily biodegrdable | ||||||||||
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27.8 | 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 |
Non-persistent | |||||||
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27.8 | 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 |
Non-persistent | ||||||||
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129.3 | 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 |
Persistent | ||||||||
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EU 2022 dossier lab studies DT₅₀ (normalised) range 21.4-74.6 days, DT₉₀ (measured) range 26.8-277 days, Soils=1 | ||||||||||
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5.2 | 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 |
Fast | ||||||||
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8.0 | 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 |
Moderately fast | ||||||||
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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. | ||||||||||
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Soil adsorption and mobility |
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8.8 | 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 |
Moderately mobile | |||||||
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226 | ||||||||||
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0.9 | ||||||||||
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EU dossier Kf range 0.3-17.4 mL g⁻¹, Kfoc range 28-580 mL g⁻¹, 1/n range 0.89-0.93, Soils=5 | ||||||||||
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No |
Fate indices |
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2.38 | Calculated | Transition state | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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1.16 X 10-01 | Calculated | - | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Low | Calculated | - | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Moderately mobile | Calculated | - | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Low risk | Q3 Q = Miscellaneous data from online sources Based on LogP < 33 = Unverified data of known source |
Low risk | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Known soil metabolites |
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Minor fraction | 0.043 | - | |||||
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Major fraction | 0.210 | - | |||||
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Major fraction | 0.182 | - | |||||
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Major fraction | 0.460 | - |
Known groundwater metabolites |
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Relevancy unknown | - | - | ||||||
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Relevancy unknown | - | - | ||||||
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Relevancy unknown | - | - |
Other known metabolites |
None
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Terrestrial ecotoxicology |
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> 2000 | 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 ) Rat5 = Verified data used for regulatory purposes |
Low | ||||||||
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> 2510 | A4 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 ) Anas platyrhynchos as methyl variant4 = Verified data |
Low | ||||||||
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> 1000 | 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 ) Eisenia foetida5 = Verified data used for regulatory purposes |
Low | ||||||||
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230 | 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 ) Eisenia andrei as mg ha⁻¹5 = Verified data used for regulatory purposes |
Low | ||||||||
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> 60 | 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 ) 3 plant species tested as methyl variant5 = Verified data used for regulatory purposes |
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> 60 | 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 ) 3 plant species tested as methyl variant5 = Verified data used for regulatory purposes |
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> 100 | A4 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 ) Apis mellifera as methyl variant4 = Verified data |
Low | |||||||
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> 51.4 | A4 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 ) Apis mellifera as methyl variant4 = Verified data |
Moderate | ||||||||
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> 600 | A4 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 ) Aphidius rhopalosiphi as methyl variant4 = Verified data |
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> 600 | A4 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 ) Typhlodromus pyri Adult as methyl variant4 = Verified data |
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Aquatic ecotoxicology |
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> 66 | A4 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 ) Oncorhynchus mykiss as methyl variant4 = Verified data |
Moderate | ||||||||
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130 | A4 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 ) Daphnia magna as methyl variant4 = Verified data |
Low | ||||||||
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7.61 | 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 ) Lemna gibba5 = Verified data used for regulatory purposes |
Moderate | ||||||||
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26.4 | 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 ) Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata5 = Verified data used for regulatory purposes |
Low | ||||||||
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General |
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High (class III) | - | - | ||||||||
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> 2000 | 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 ) Rat5 = Verified data used for regulatory purposes |
Low | ||||||||
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2000 | A4 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 ) Rat as methyl variant4 = Verified data |
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0.2 | 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 |
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None allocated | 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 |
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0.12 | 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 |
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Health issues |
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Possible liver toxicant |
Handling issues |
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Not explosive or oxidising IMDG Transport Hazard Class 9 Not expected to auto-ignite; Not highly flammable |
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Health: H317 Environment: H411 |
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U (Unlikely to present an acute hazard) | |||
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UN3077 | |||
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Packaging Group III (minor danger) | |||
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bensulfuron | ||
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bensulfuron | ||
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Bensulfuron | ||
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bensulfuron | ||
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bensulfuron | ||
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bensulfuron | ||
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bensulfuron | ||
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benszulforon | ||
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Record last updated: | 28/07/2025 |
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 |