Gateway on Pesticide Hazards and Safe Pest Management

Copper Sulfate

(Basic, anhydrous and pentahydrate)

General Information

• Product Names:
  Copper Dragon Tomato & Vegetable Dust  (Bonide Products)
  Lilly/Miller Microcop Fungicide (Lilly Miller)
  Drexel Basic Copper Sulfate (Drexel Chemical)
  Clean Crop C-O-C-S Copodust (Loveland Products)
  Cuproxat Flowable Copper Fungicide (Nufarm)
  Cop-O-Zinc (Albaugh)
  Cuprofix (United Phosphorus)

• Chemical Class: Inorganic, Fungicide/Antimicrobial
• Uses: Copper compounds are used for food/feed crops, including orchard, row, field, and aquatic crops, flowering/non-flowering plants and trees. Also as a wood preservative, mildewcide, water treatment, bactericide, and as an anti-foulant in many products including paint, glue, building materials and construction materials.
• Alternatives: Organic Agriculture, Lawns/broadleaf plants
• Beyond Pesticides rating: Toxic

Health and Environmental Effects

• Cancer: Not documented
• Endocrine Disruption: Not documented
• Reproductive Effects: Yes (27)
• Neurotoxicity: Not documented
• Kidney/Liver Damage: Yes (27)
• Sensitizer/ Irritant: Yes (8)
• Birth/Developmental Not documented
• Detected in Groundwater: Not documented
• Potential Leacher: Not documented
• Toxic to Birds: Moderately toxic (8, 27)
• Toxic to Fish/Aquatic Organisms: Yes (27)
• Toxic to Bees: Not documented

Additional Information

• Regulatory Status:
  • EPA Reregistration Eligibility Decision (RED) for Coppers signed (7/2006)
  • Registration Review- pending
• Supporting information:
  • Extoxnet Factsheet (Extension Toxicology Network)
  • PAN Pesticides Database: (Pesticide Action Network)
• Studies:
  • *Neurotoxic Effects of Copper Salts in Rats. Plech, A. , Klimkiewicz T. and Jakrzewska H. 2000. Polish Journal of Environmental Studies
  • *Copper neurotoxicity is dependent on dopamine-mediated copper uptake and one-electron reduction of aminochrome in a rat substantia nigra neuronal cell line. Paris, I et al. 2001. J Neurochem.