Fenuron	Last updated: 21/09/2023
(Also known as: fenidim; fenulon; PDU)

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SUMMARY

Fenuron is an obsolete phenylurea pre-emergence herbicide. It has a high aqueous solubility and is moderately volatile. Evidence suggests it is moderately persistent in soil systems. Based on its physico-chemical properties it has a high potential to leach to groundwater. Ecotoxicological data is very limited but acute oral ecotoxicity tends to be moderate to low. It has a low mammalian oral 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 High alert: GUS: High leachability; Drainflow: Mobile	Ecotoxicity Low alert: Birds acute ecotoxicity: Low; Fish acute ecotoxicity: Low; Daphnia acute ecotoxicity: Low	Human health Moderate alert: Reproduction/development effects

GENERAL INFORMATION

Description	An obsolete pre-emergence herbicide that had both agricultural and amenity uses
Example pests controlled	Annual broad-leaved weeds; Woody plants
Example applications	Spinach; Peas and beans; Sugarbeet; Fruit
Efficacy & activity	-
Availability status	Considered obsolete but may be available in some countries
Introduction & key dates	1951, first reported

UK regulatory status

UK COPR regulatory status	Not approved
Date COPR inclusion expires	Expired
UK LERAP status	No UK approval for use

EC Regulation 1107/2009 (repealing 91/414)

EC Regulation 1107/2009 status	Not approved
Dossier rapporteur/co-rapporteur	-
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	C₉H₁₂N₂O
Canonical SMILES	CN(C)C(=O)NC1=CC=CC=C1
Isomeric SMILES	No data
International Chemical Identifier key (InChIKey)	XXOYNJXVWVNOOJ-UHFFFAOYSA-N
International Chemical Identifier (InChI)	InChI=1S/C9H12N2O/c1-11(2)9(12)10-8-6-4-3-5-7-8/h3-7H,1-2H3,(H,10,12)
2D structure diagram/image available?	Yes

Cambridge Crystallographic Data Centre diagrams

Common Name	Relationship	Link
fenuron	-

General status

Pesticide type	Herbicide
Substance groups	Urea herbicide; Phenylurea herbicide
Minimum active substance purity	-
Known relevant impurities	-
Substance origin	Synthetic
Mode of action	Photosynthetic electron transport inhibitor at the photosystem II.
CAS RN	101-42-8
EC number	202-941-4
CIPAC number	158
US EPA chemical code	035507
PubChem CID	7560
CLP index number	No data found
Molecular mass	164.20
PIN (Preferred Identification Name)	N,N-dimethyl-N'-phenylurea
IUPAC name	1,1-dimethyl-3-phenylurea
CAS name	N,N-dimethyl-N'-phenylurea
Other status information	-
Relevant Environmental Water Quality Standards	-
Herbicide Resistance Class (HRAC MoA class)	C2
Herbicide Resistance Class (WSSA MoA class)	7
Insecticide Resistance Class (IRAC MoA class)	Not applicable
Fungicide Resistance Class (FRAC MOA class)	Not applicable
Examples of recorded resistance	-
Physical state	Colourless crystals

Formulations

Property	Value
Example manufacturers & suppliers of products using this active now or historically	DuPont United Phosphorus Hopkins Chemicals
Example products using this active	Quintex Premalox Dybar Beet-Klean
Formulation and application details	Usually supplied as a wettable powder

ENVIRONMENTAL FATE

Property		Value	Source; quality score; and other information	Interpretation
Solubility - In water at 20 °C (mg l⁻¹)		3850	H4 H = The US ARS pesticide properties database. Dataset is no longer available. 4 = Verified data	High
Solubility - In organic solvents at 20 °C (mg l⁻¹)		108800	L3 L = Pesticide manuals and hard copy reference books / other sources 3 = Unverified data of known source Ethanol	-
		80200	L3 L = Pesticide manuals and hard copy reference books / other sources 3 = Unverified data of known source Acetone	-
		3100	L3 L = Pesticide manuals and hard copy reference books / other sources 3 = Unverified data of known source Benzene	-
		125000	L3 L = Pesticide manuals and hard copy reference books / other sources 3 = Unverified data of known source Chloroform	-
Melting point (°C)		134	L3 L = Pesticide manuals and hard copy reference books / other sources 3 = Unverified data of known source	-
Boiling point (°C)		-	-	-
Degradation point (°C)		-	-	-
Flashpoint (°C)		-	-	-
Octanol-water partition coefficient at pH 7, 20 °C	P	9.55 X 1000	Calculated	-
	Log P	0.98	V3 V = ChemID Online Databases; Chemspider; PubChem. (ChemID ) 3 = Unverified data of known source	Low
Fat solubility of residues	Solubility	-	-	-
	Data type	-	-	-
Density (g ml⁻¹)		1.08	L3 L = Pesticide manuals and hard copy reference books / other sources 3 = Unverified data of known source	-
Dissociation constant pKa) at 25 °C		-	-	-
		-
Vapour pressure at 20 °C (mPa)		5	H4 H = The US ARS pesticide properties database. Dataset is no longer available. 4 = Verified data	Moderately volatile
Henry's law constant at 25 °C (Pa m³ mol⁻¹)		2.13 X 10-04	H4 H = The US ARS pesticide properties database. Dataset is no longer available. 4 = Verified data	Non-volatile
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)	60	H4 H = The US ARS pesticide properties database. Dataset is no longer available. 4 = Verified data	Moderately persistent
	DT₅₀ (lab at 20 °C)	60	H4 H = The US ARS pesticide properties database. Dataset is no longer available. 4 = Verified data	Moderately persistent
	DT₅₀ (field)	-	-	-
	DT₉₀ (lab at 20 °C)	-	-	-
	DT₉₀ (field)	-	-	-
	DT₅₀ modelling endpoint	-	-	-
	Note	-
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 20 °C and pH 7	Value	-	-	-
	Note	-
Water-sediment DT₅₀ (days)		-	-	-
Water phase only DT₅₀ (days)		-	-	-

Soil adsorption and mobility

Property		Value	Source; quality score; and other information	Interpretation
Linear	Kd	-	H3 H = The US ARS pesticide properties database. Dataset is no longer available. 3 = Unverified data of known source	Mobile
	Koc	42
	Notes and range	Other sources: 11-42.0 mL g⁻¹ (DW3)
Freundlich	Kf	-	-	-
	Kfoc	-
	1/n	-
	Notes and range	-
pH sensitivity		-

Fate indices

Property		Value	Source; quality score; and other information	Interpretation
GUS leaching potential index		4.23	Calculated	High leachability
SCI-GROW groundwater index (μg l⁻¹) for a 1 kg ha⁻¹ or 1 l ha⁻¹ application rate	Value	1.52 X 1000	Calculated	-
	Note	-
Potential for particle bound transport index		Medium	Calculated	-
Potential for loss via drain flow		Mobile	Calculated	-
Bio-concentration factor	BCF (l kg⁻¹)	6	Q2 Q = Miscellaneous data from online sources 2 = Unverified data of unknown source Estimated	Low potential
	CT₅₀ (days)	Not available		-

Known metabolites

None

ECOTOXICOLOGY

Terrestrial ecotoxicology

Property		Value	Source; quality score; and other information	Interpretation
Mammals - Acute oral LD₅₀ (mg kg⁻¹)		6400	L3 L = Pesticide manuals and hard copy reference books / other sources 3 = Unverified data of known source Rat	Low
Mammals - Short term dietary NOEL	(mg kg⁻¹)	-	L3 L = Pesticide manuals and hard copy reference books / other sources 3 = Unverified data of known source Rat	-
	(ppm diet)	500		-
Mammals - Chronic 21d NOAEL (mg kg⁻¹ bw d⁻¹)		-	-	-
Birds - Acute LD₅₀ (mg kg⁻¹)		5000	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 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)		-	-	-
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)	-	-	-
	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	-	-	-
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
Fish - Acute 96 hour LC₅₀ (mg l⁻¹)		204	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 Oncorhynchus mykiss	Low
Fish - Chronic 21 day NOEC (mg l⁻¹)		-	-	-
Aquatic invertebrates - Acute 48 hour EC₅₀ (mg l⁻¹)		502	D4 D = Agricultural Research Information System (ARIS) Database. Dataset is no longer available. 4 = Verified data Unknown species	Low
Aquatic invertebrates - Chronic 21 day NOEC (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 - Acute 7 day EC₅₀, biomass (mg l⁻¹)		-	-	-
Algae - Acute 72 hour EC₅₀, growth (mg l⁻¹)		1.45	F2 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 ) 2 = Unverified data of unknown source Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata 10 day	Moderate
Algae - Chronic 96 hour NOEC, growth (mg l⁻¹)		-	-	-
Mesocosm study data	NOEAEC mg l⁻¹	-	-	-
	NOEAEC mg l⁻¹	-	-	-

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)		6400	L3 L = Pesticide manuals and hard copy reference books / other sources 3 = Unverified data of known source Rat	Low
Mammals - Dermal LD₅₀ (mg kg⁻¹ body weight)		-	-	-
Mammals - Inhalation LC₅₀ (mg l⁻¹)		-	-	-
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 XNo, known not to cause a problem 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 ; E0 E = Unspecified genotoxicity type (miscellaneous data source) 0 = No data 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 ✓Yes, known to cause a problem XNo, known not to cause a problem No data found Eye irritant Phototoxicant   XNo, known not to cause a problem No data found
General human health issues		No further information available

Handling issues

Property	Value and interpretation
General	No information available
CLP classification 2013	Health: H319, H335, H361 Environment: H400, H410, H411
WHO Classification	Not classified: Obsolete (Not classified: Obsolete)
UN Number	-
Waste disposal & packaging	-
Shelf-life, storage, stability and reactivity	-

TRANSLATIONS

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

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Record last updated:	21/09/2023
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