acephate ** orthene ** Translations

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SUMMARY

Acephate is an organophosphate insecticide that does not have approval for use in the EU. It is highly soluble in water and most organic solvents, and is volatile. It is not expected to leach to groundwater. Whilst it is mobile, it tends not to be persistence in soil or aquatic systems. It is moderately toxic to mammals and has a low potential for bioaccumulation. Acephate is also a recognised irritant. It is has a moderate to low toxicity to birds, honeybees, earthworms and most aquatic organisms.

GENERAL INFORMATION
for acephate

Description: An organophosphate insecticide used normally as a foliar spray to control chewing and sucking insects

Example pests controlled: Aphids; Leaf miners; Lepidopterous larvae; Sawflies; Thrips

Example applications: Fruit; Vegetables; Potatoes; Sugarbeet; Vines; Rice; Hops; Ornamentals; Greenhouse crops including peppers, cucumbers

Efficacy & activity: -

Availability status: Current

Introduction & key dates: circa 1970

EC Regulation 1107/2009 (repealing 91/414):

Status	Not approved
Dossier rapporteur/co-rapporteur	Italy
Date inclusion expires	Expired
EU Candidate for substitution (CfS)	Not applicable
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

Also used in: Australia, USA

Chemical structure:

Isomerism	Chiral, existing in the S- and R-forms
Chemical formula	C4H10NO3PS
Canonical SMILES	CC(=O)NP(=O)(OC)SC
Isomeric SMILES	No data
International Chemical Identifier key (InChIKey)	YASYVMFAVPKPKE-UHFFFAOYSA-N
International Chemical Identifier (InChI)	InChI=1S/C4H10NO3PS/c1-4(6)5-9(7,8-2)10-3/h1-3H3,(H,5,6,7)
2D structure diagram/image available?	Yes

General status:

Pesticide type	Insecticide
Substance group	Organophosphate
Minimum active substance purity	-
Known relevant impurities	-
Substance origin	Synthetic
Mode of action	Broad-spectrum, contact and ingestion systemic action. Weak acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitor.
CAS RN	30560-19-1
EC number	250-241-2
CIPAC number	338
US EPA chemical code	103301
PubChem CID	1982
Molecular mass (g mol-1)	183.17
PIN (Preferred Identification Name)	(E)-(O,S-dimethyl acetylphosphoramidothioate)
IUPAC name	(RS)-N-[methoxy(methylthio)phosphinoyl]acetamide
CAS name	O,S-dimethyl acetylphosphoramidothioate
Other status information	Potential groundwater contaminant; Chemical subject to PIC regulations
Relevant Environmental Water Quality Standards	-
Herbicide Resistance Classification (HRAC)	Not applicable
Herbicide Resistance Classification (WSSA)	Not applicable
Insecticide Resistance Classification (IRAC)	1B
Fungicide Resistance Classification (FRAC)	Not applicable
Examples of recorded resistance	Adoxophyes orana Aphis gossypii Myzus persicae Phorodon humuli Trialeurodes vaporariorum Lygus lineolaris plus others
Physical state	Colourless/white solid
Related substances & organisms	chlorpyrifos imidacloprid

Formulations:

Property	Value
Example manufacturers & suppliers of products using this active now or historically	Cheminova King Tech Corp United Phorsporus Valent Chevron
Example products using this active	Tornado Ortril Cekucefate Sunphate Orthene Ortran
UK LERAP status	No UK approval for use as a pesticide under EC Regulation 1107/2009
Formulation and application details	Usually supplied as a soluble powder or granules.

ENVIRONMENTAL FATE
for acephate

Property		Value	Source/Quality Score/Other Information	Interpretation
Solubility - In water at 20oC (mg l-1)		790000	W4	High
Solubility - In organic solvents at 20oC (mg l-1)		151000	L3 - Acetone	-
		100000	L3 - Ethanol	-
		35000	L3 - Ethyl acetate	-
		100	L3 - Hexane	-
Melting point (oC)		89	L3	-
Boiling point (oC)		Decomposes before boiling	L3	-
Degradation point (oC)		-	-	-
Flashpoint (oC)		-	-	-
Octanol-water partition coefficient at pH 7, 20oC	P	1.41 X 10-01	Calculated	-
	Log P	-0.85	R3	Low
Bulk density (g ml-1)/Specific gravity		1.35	L3	-
Dissociation constant (pKa) at 25oC		8.35	F4	-
		Note: Weak acid
Vapour pressure at 20oC (mPa)		0.226	L3	Low volatility
Henry's law constant at 25oC (Pa m3 mol-1)		5.15 X 10-08	H4	Non-volatile
GUS leaching potential index		1.14	Calculated	Low leachability
SCI-GROW groundwater index (μg l-1) for a 1 kg ha-1 or 1 l ha-1 application rate	Value	2.54 X 10-03	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)	3	H4	Non-persistent
	DT50 (lab at 20oC)	-	-	-
	DT50 (field)	3	H4	Non-persistent
	DT90 (lab at 20oC)	-	-	-
	DT90 (field)	-	-	-
	DT50 modelling endpoint	-	-	-
	Note	Best available data
Dissipation rate RL50 on plant matrix	Value	4.8	R4	-
	Note	Published literature RL50 range 0.7-8.5 days, 8 field & undercover grown crops, various matrices, n=11
Dissipation rate RL50 on and in plant matrix	Value	5.8	R4	-
	Note	Published literature RL50 range 1.0-12.4 days, 12 field & undercover grown crops, various matrices, n=18
Aqueous photolysis DT50 (days) at pH 7	Value	2	L3	Moderately fast
	Note	-
Aqueous hydrolysis DT50 (days) at 20oC and pH 7	Value	50	CA3	Moderately persistent
	Note	Hydrolysis data applies for pH range 5-7
Water-sediment DT50 (days)		-	-	-
Water phase only DT50 (days)		-	-	-

Soil adsorption and mobility:

Property		Value	Source/Quality Score/Other Information	Interpretation
Linear	Kd	1.6	R4	Moderately mobile
	Koc	302
	Notes and range	Literature data: Kd range 0.54-4.98 mL/g, Koc range 24.4-545 mL/g, Soils = 19
Freundlich	Kf	0.21	R4	Mobile
	Kfoc	40.3
	1/n	1.81
	Notes and range	Literature data: Kf range 0.01-0.90 mL/g, Kfoc range 1.9-188 mL/g, 1.n range 1.43-2.08, Soils = 19
pH sensitivity		-

Key metabolites:

Metabolite		Formation medium	Estimated maximum occurrence fraction	1107/2009 relevancy
methamidophos (Ref: ENT 27396)		Soil	-	-

ECOTOXICOLOGY
for acephate

Property		Value	Source/Quality Score/Other Information	Interpretation
Bio-concentration factor	BCF (l kg-1)	0.03	J4	Low potential
	CT50 (days)	Not available		-
Mammals - Acute oral LD50 (mg kg-1)		945	F4 Rat	Moderate
Mammals - Short term dietary NOEL	(mg kg-1)	0.25	L2 Rat	High
	(ppm diet)	-		-
Birds - Acute LD50 (mg kg-1)		350	F3 Anas platyrhynchos	Moderate
Birds - Short term dietary (LC50/LD50)		-	-	-
Fish - Acute 96 hour LC50 (mg l-1)		110	F3 Oncorhynchus mykiss	Low
Fish - Chronic 21 day NOEC (mg l-1)		4.7	F2 Galaxias maculatus, 20 day	Moderate
Aquatic invertebrates - Acute 48 hour EC50 (mg l-1)		67.2	L3 Daphnia magna	Moderate
Aquatic invertebrates - Chronic 21 day NOEC (mg l-1)		43	L3 Daphnia magna	Low
Aquatic crustaceans - Acute 96 hour LC50 (mg l-1)		7.3	F3 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)		980	L2 Unknown species	Low
Algae - Chronic 96 hour NOEC, growth (mg l-1)		-	-	-
Honeybees (Apis spp.)	Contact acute LD50 (worst case from 24 , 48 and 72 hour values - μg bee-1)	1.78	R3 Apis mellifera	Moderate
	Oral acute LD50 (worst case from 24 , 48 and 72 hour values - μg bee-1)	> 0.23	R3 Apis mellifera	High
	Unknown mode acute LD50 (worst case from 24 , 48 and 72 hour values - μg bee-1)	-	-	-
Bumblebees (Bombus spp.)	Contact acute LD50 (worst case from 24 , 48 and 72 hour values - μg bee-1)	3.99	R3 Bombus terrestris, 72 hr	Moderate
		-
	Oral acute LD50 (worst case from 24 , 48 and 72 hour values - μg bee-1)	7.37	R3 Bombus terrestris, 72 hr	Moderate
		Literature LD50 varies 3.93-135.5 ug/bee depending on test duration 24-72 hrs
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 pollinators (1)	Acute LD50 (worst case from 24 , 48 and 72 hour values - μg insect-1)	-	-	-
	Mode of exposure	-
Other pollinators (2)	Acute LD50 (worst case from 24 , 48 and 72 hour values - μg insect-1)	-	-	-
	Mode of exposure	-
Earthworms - Acute 14 day LC50 (mg kg-1)		> 22974	L3	Low
Earthworms - Chronic NOEC, reproduction (mg kg-1)		-	-	-
Other soil macro-organisms	Acute LC50 (mg kg-1)	-	-	-
	Chronic NOEC (mg kg-1)	-	-	-
Other arthropod (1)	LR50 g ha-1	-	-	-
	% Effect	Harmful	Q2 Parasitoids	-
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 acephate

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)		945	F4 Rat	Moderate
Mammals - Dermal LD50 (mg kg-1 body weight)		> 10000	L3 Rat	-
Mammals - Inhalation LC50 (mg l-1)		15.0	L3 Rat	-
Other Mammal toxicity endpoints		-		-
ADI - Acceptable Daily Intake (mg kg-1bw day-1)		0.03	JMPR 2005	-
ARfD - Acute Reference Dose (mg kg-1bw day-1)		0.1	JMPR 2005	-
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		List I; List II	-	-
Exposure Routes	Public	Dermal route highest risk Minimal risk of dietary exposure Small risk of exposure in food and water from metabolite methamidophos Source: US EPA
	Occupational	Possible exposure via inhalation and dermal contact Source: US EPA
European MRLs		Click here for the EU MRL pesticide database
Drinking Water Standards		-	-	-
Drinking Water MAC (μg l-1)		-	-	-

Health issues:

Carcinogen	Genotoxic	Endocrine disrupter	Reproduction / development effects	Cholinesterase inhibitor	Neurotoxicant
	A3; B0; C0; D0; E3		-
Respiratory tract irritant	Skin irritant	Skin sensitiser	Eye irritant	Phototoxicant
-		-	-	-
General human health issues		USEPA - possible human carcinogen Endocrine issues - Disruption of hormone expression in the hypothalamus
Key: Genotoxicity A: Chromosome aberration (EFSA database) B: DNA damage/repair (EFSA database) C: Gene mutation (EFSA database) D: Genome mutation (EFSA database) E: Unspecified genotoxicity type (miscellaneous data source) 0: No data 1: Positive 2: Mixed/ambiguous results 3: Negative			Key: Other : 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		IMDG Transport Code is 6.1
CLP classification 2013		Health: H302
EC Risk Classification		Xn - Harmful: R22
EC Safety Classification		S2, S36
WHO Classification		II	-	Moderately hazardous
UN Number		Active 2783, liquid products usually 3018
Waste disposal & packaging		-

TRANSLATIONS
for acephate

Language	Name
English	acephate
French	acéphate
German	Acephat
Danish	acephat
Italian	acefate
Spanish	acefato
Greek	-
Slovenian	acefat
Polish	acefat
Swedish	-
Hungarian	acefat
Dutch	-

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Record last updated: Monday 11 November 2019
Contact: aeru@herts.ac.uk