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Gateway on Pesticide Hazards and Safe Pest Management

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Malathion

General Information

  • Fact Sheet: Malathion.pdf
  • Product Names:
  • Chemical Class: Organophosphate insecticide
  • Uses: Alfalfa; apricot; asparagus; avocado; barley; bean (succulent and dry); beets (table); birdsfoot trefoil; blackberry; blueberry; boysenberry; broccoli; broccoli raab; Brussels sprout; cabbage (including Chinese); carrot; cauliflower; celery; chayote; cherry; chestnut; clover; collards; corn (field; sweet; and pop); cotton; cucumber; currant; dandelion; date; dewberry; eggplant; endive; escarole; potato; fig; garlic; gooseberry; grape; grapefruit; guava; hay grass; hops;
    horseradish; kale; kohlrabi; kumquat; leek; lemon; lespedeza; lettuce (head and leaf); lime; loganberry; lupine; macadamia nut; mango; melon; mint; mushroom; mustard greens; nectarines; oats; okra; onion; orange; papaya; parsley; parsnip; passion fruit; pea; peach; pear; pecan; pepper; pineapple; pumpkin; radish; raspberry; rice; rutabaga; rye; salsify; shallot; sorghum; spinach; spring wheat; squash; strawberry; sweet potato; Swiss chard; tangelo; tangerine; tomato (including tomatillo); turnip; vetch; walnut; watercress; watermelon; wheat (spring, and winter); wild rice; and yam; indoor stored commodity treatment and empty storage facilities for barley, corn, oats, rye, and wheat. Homeowner outdoor uses: ornamental flowering plants, ornamental lawns, ornamental turf, vegetable gardens and fruit trees; ornamental flowers, shrubs, and trees; Christmas tree
    plantations; slash pine; ornamental nursery stock; woody plants; building perimeters (domestic dwellings as well as commercial structures); uncultivated nonagricultural areas; outdoor garbage
    dumps; intermittently flooded areas; irrigation systems; pastures; and rangeland. Treatment of headlice and their eggs.
  • Alternatives: Organic agriculture, Least-toxic outdoor residential control, Least-toxic head lice control, Least-toxic mosquitoes cotnrol
  • Beyond Pesticides rating: Toxic

Health and Environmental Effects

  • Cancer: Suggestive evidence (26)
  • Endocrine Disruption: Yes (30)
  • Reproductive Effects: Yes (13)
  • Neurotoxicity: Yes (11)
  • Kidney/Liver Damage: Yes (4)
  • Sensitizer/ Irritant: Yes (6)
  • Birth/Developmental Yes (7)
  • Detected in Groundwater: Yes (4)
  • Potential Leacher: Yes (4)
  • Toxic to Birds: Yes (8)
  • Toxic to Fish/Aquatic Organisms: Yes (8)
  • Toxic to Bees: Yes (8)

Additional Information