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Gateway test
Permethrin
General Information
- Fact Sheets: permethrin.pdf, Synthetic Pyrethroids.pdf
- Product Names:
- Chemical Class: Synthetic pyrethroid insecticide
- Uses: Food/feed crops, livestock and livestock housing, modes of transportation, structures, buildings (including food handling establishments), public health mosquito abatement programs, residential use sites including use in outdoor and indoor spaces, pets, and clothing (impregnated and ready to use formulations).
- Alternatives: Organic agriculture, Least-toxic insect control, Least-toxic mosquito control
- Beyond Pesticides rating: Toxic
Health and Environmental Effects
- Cancer: Yes (1, 2)
- Endocrine Disruption: Yes (3, 2)
- Reproductive Effects: Yes (4)
- Neurotoxicity: Yes (5)
- Kidney/Liver Damage: Yes (5)
- Sensitizer/ Irritant: Yes (6)
- Birth/Developmental: Not documented
- Detected in Groundwater: Yes (7)
- Potential Leacher: Not documented
- Toxic to Birds: Not documented
- Toxic to Fish/Aquatic Organisms: Yes (8)
- Toxic to Bees: Yes (8, 2)
Residential Uses as Found in the ManageSafe™ Database
- Ants
- Bagworms
- Carpenter Bees
- Tree-boring Caterpillars
- Chiggers
- Cockroaches
- Fleas
- Wasps and Yellowjackets
- Ticks
- Termites
- Head Lice
- Bed Bugs
- Chinch Bugs
- Gypsy Moths
- Hemlock Woolly Adelgid
- Mosquitoes
- Spiders
- Carpenter Ants
- Carpet Beetle
- Grubs
- Thrips
- Aphids
- Fire Ants
Additional Information
- Regulatory Status:
- Beyond Pesticides' Draft Human Health Risk Assesment for Permethrin commments (11/2017)
- Beyond Pesticides' EPA Human Health and Ecological Risk Assessment Draft for Several Pyrethroid insecticides comments (01/2017)
- Permethrin Registration Review (2017)
- EPA Reregistration Eligibility Decision (RED) revised (5/2009)
- Beyond Pesticides' RED comments (2006)
- Supporting information:
- NCAP Permethrin Factsheet (Northwest Coalition for Alternatives to Pesticides)
- PAN Pesticides Database: Permethrin (Pesticide Action Network)
- Studies [compiled from the Pesticide-Induced Diseases Database]
- Behavioural disorders in 6-year-old children and pyrethroid insecticide exposure: the PELAGIE mother–child cohort. Viel, JF, Rouget,F et al. 2017. Occup Environ Med. 74(4):275-281
- Association of pyrethroid pesticide exposure with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in a nationally representative sample of U.S. children. Wagner-Schuman M, Richardson JR, Auinger P, et al. 2015. Environ Health.14:44.
- Neurodevelopmental disorders and prenatal residential proximity to agricultural pesticides: the CHARGE study. Shelton JF, Geraghty EM, Tancredi DJ, et al. 2014. Environ Health Perspect. 122(10):1103-9.
- Subchronic dermal application of N,N-diethyl m-toluamide (DEET) and permethrin to adult rats, alone or in combination, causes diffuse neuronal cell death and cytoskeletal abnormalities in the cerebral cortex and the hippocampus, and Purkinje neuron loss in the cerebellum. Abdel-Rahman, A. et. al. 2001 Exp Neurol. 172(1):153-71.
- A pilot study of pesticides and PCBs in the breast milk of women residing in urban and agricultural communities of California.. Weldon RH, Barr DB, Trujillo C, et al. 2011. J Environ Monit. 13(11):3136-44.
- Lifetime Pesticide Use and Monoclonal Gammopathy of Undetermined Significance in a Prospective Cohort of Male Farmers. Hofmann, J.N., Beane Freeman, L.E., Murata, K., Andreotti, G., Shearer, J.J., Thoren, K., Ramanathan, L., Parks, C.G., Koutros, S., Lerro, C.C. and Liu, D., 2021. Environmental Health Perspectives, 129(1), p.017003.
- Prenatal and infant exposure to ambient pesticides and autism spectrum disorder in children: population based case-control study. von Ehrenstein, et al. 2019. BMJ 2019;364:l962
- Early life exposure to permethrin: a progressive animal model of Parkinson's disease.. Nasuti C, Brunori G, Eusepi P, Marinelli L, et al. 2016. J Pharmacol Toxicol Methods. 83:80-86.
- Dopaminergic system modulation, behavioral changes, and oxidative stress after neonatal administration of pyrethroids.. Nasuti C, Gabbianelli R, Falcioni ML, et al.2007. Toxicology. 229(3):194-205.
- Effects of a mixture of pesticides on the adult female reproductive system of Sprague-Dawley, Wistar, and Lewis rats. Pascotto VM, Guerra MT, Franci JA, et al. 2015. J Toxicol Environ Health A. 78(9):602-16
- Effects of early life permethrin exposure on spatial working memory and on monoamine levels in different brain areas of pre-senescent rats.. Nasuti C, Carloni M, Fedeli D, et al. 2013. Toxicology. 303:162-8
- Evidence for diazinon-mediated inhibition of cis-permethrin metabolism and its effects on reproductive toxicity in adult male mice.. Wang D, Kamijima M, Okamura A, et al. 2012. Reprod Toxicol. 34(4):489-97
- Genotoxicity studies on permethrin, DEET and diazinon in primary human nasal mucosal cells. Tisch, M., et al. 2002. Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol 259:150-153.
- Home-based community health worker intervention to reduce pesticide exposures to farmworkers' children: A randomized-controlled trial.. Salvatore AL, Castorina R, Camacho J, et al. 2015. J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol. 25(6):608-15
- Occurrence of pesticide residues in indoor dust of farmworker households across Europe and Argentina.. Navarro, I., de la Torre, A., Sanz, P., Baldi, I., Harkes, P., Huerta-Lwanga, E., Nørgaard, T., Glavan, M., Pasković, I., Pasković, M.P. and Abrantes, N., 2023. Science of The Total Environment, p.167797.
- Mixture effects of thiamethoxam and seven pesticides with different modes of action on honey bees (Aplis mellifera). Li, W. et al. (2023) Mixture effects of thiamethoxam and seven pesticides with different modes of action on honey bees (Aplis mellifera), Scientific Reports. Available at: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-023-29837-w#ref-CR30.
- Exposure to pesticides, persistent and non − persistent pollutants in French 3.5-year-old children: Findings from comprehensive hair analysis in the ELFE national birth cohort. Macheka, L. et al. (2024) Exposure to pesticides, persistent and non − persistent pollutants in French 3.5-year-old children: Findings from comprehensive hair analysis in the ELFE national birth cohort, Environment International. Available at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160412024004677.
- Pre-Conception And First Trimester Exposure To Pesticides And Associations With Stillbirth. Furlong, M. et al. (2024) Pre-conception and first trimester exposure to pesticides and associations with stillbirth, American Journal of Epidemiology. Available at: https://academic.oup.com/aje/advance-article-abstract/doi/10.1093/aje/kwae198/7714541.
- A Comprehensive Review on Pesticide Residues in Human Urine. Hakme, E., Poulsen, M. and Lassen, A. (2024) A Comprehensive Review on Pesticide Residues in Human Urine, Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. Available at: https://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/acs.jafc.4c02705.
- Advances and future prospects of pyrethroids: Toxicity and microbial degradation. Singh, S. et al. (2022) Advances and future prospects of pyrethroids: Toxicity and microbial degradation, Science of The Total Environment. Available at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0048969722016540.
- Assessing pyrethroid resistance in Aedes aegypti from Cordoba Colombia: Implications of kdr mutations. Atencia–Pineda, M.C. et al. (2024) Assessing pyrethroid resistance in Aedes aegypti from Cordoba colombia: Implications of KDR mutations, PLOS ONE. Available at: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0309201.
- Insecticide Resistance and Its Intensity in Populations of Malaria Vectors in Colombia. Orjuela, L. et al. (2018) Insecticide Resistance and Its Intensity in Populations of Malaria Vectors in Colombia, BioMed Research International. Available at: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1155/2018/9163543.
- Thyroid under Attack: The Adverse Impact of Plasticizers, Pesticides, and PFASs on Thyroid Function. Rodrigues, V.G. et al. (2024) Thyroid under Attack: The Adverse Impact of Plasticizers, Pesticides, and PFASs on Thyroid Function, Endocrines. Available at: https://www.mdpi.com/2673-396X/5/3/32.
- Exposures of 129 Preschool Children to Organochlorines, Organophosphates, Pyrethroids, and Acid Herbicides at Their Homes and Daycares in North Carolina. Morgan, M.K., Wilson, N.K. and Chuang, J.C. (2014) Exposures of 129 Preschool Children to Organochlorines, Organophosphates, Pyrethroids, and Acid Herbicides at Their Homes and Daycares in North Carolina, International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. Available at: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4025031/.
- Early-life exposure to low levels of permethrin exerts impairments in learning and memory with the effects on neuronal and glial population in adult male mice. Saito H, Hara K, Tominaga T, Nakashima K, Tanemura K. Early-life exposure to low levels of permethrin exerts impairments in learning and memory with the effects on neuronal and glial population in adult male mice. J Appl Toxicol. 2019; 39: 1651–1662. https://doi.org/10.1002/jat.3882
- Pesticide-Induced Inflammation at a Glance. Lopes-Ferreira, M. et al. (2023) ‘Pesticide-induced inflammation at a glance’, Toxics, 11(11), p. 896. doi:10.3390/toxics11110896.
- High prevalence of veterinary drugs in bird's nests. Tassin de Montaigu, C. et al. (2025) High prevalence of veterinary drugs in bird’s nests, Science of The Total Environment. Available at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048969725000737.
- Developmental anomalies induced by permethrin in Gallus domesticus. Andleeb, S. & Kalsoom, S. & Ghazanfar, S.M. & Shaukat, S. & Hanif, S.. (2014). Developmental anomalies induced by permethrin in Gallus domesticus. Punjab University Journal of Zoology. 29. 63-67.
- Vulnerability of Three Days Old Chick Embryos to Permethrin Induced Toxicities. Andleeb, Shagufta & Zahid, Fariha & Ain, Noor-Ul & Nisar, Yousra & Ara, Chaman. (2018). Vulnerability of Three Days Old Chick Embryos to Permethrin Induced ToxicitiesVulnerability-of-Three-Days-Old-Chick. Punjab University Journal of Zoology. 33. 10.17582/pujz/2018.33.1.47.53.
- Prenatal residential proximity to endocrine disrupting agricultural pesticides and menstrual cycle characteristics among Latina adolescents in California. Paul, J. et al. (2025) Prenatal residential proximity to endocrine disrupting agricultural pesticides and menstrual cycle characteristics among Latina adolescents in California, American Journal of Epidemiology. Available at: https://academic.oup.com/aje/advance-article/doi/10.1093/aje/kwaf059/8083004.
- Adverse Effects of Pesticides on the Ovary: Evidence from Epidemiological and Toxicological Studies. Wang, L., Ma, X. and Liu, J. (2025) Adverse Effects of Pesticides on the Ovary: Evidence from Epidemiological and Toxicological Studies, Environment & Health. Available at: https://pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10.1021/envhealth.4c00243.
- In Vivo Effects of Acute Permethrin Exposure on Sinonasal Epithelia in a Murine Model. Basak, Saroj & Fischer, Jakob & Cheng, Melodyanne & Moatamed, Neda & Srivatsan, Eri & Lee, Jivianne. (2025). In Vivo Effects of Acute Permethrin Exposure on Sinonasal Epithelia in a Murine Model. Journal of Neurological Surgery Part B: Skull Base. 86. S1-S576. 10.1055/s-0045-1803587.
- Acute toxicity and risk assessment of permethrin, naled, and dichlorvos to larval butterflies via ingestion of contaminated foliage. Hoang, T. C., & Rand, G. M. (2015). Acute toxicity and risk assessment of permethrin, naled, and dichlorvos to larval butterflies via ingestion of contaminated foliage. Chemosphere, 120, 714–721. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2014.10.040
- Mosquito control insecticides: a probabilistic ecological risk assessment on drift exposures of naled, dichlorvos (naled metabolite) and permethrin to adult butterflies. Hoang, T. C., & Rand, G. M. (2015). Mosquito control insecticides: a probabilistic ecological risk assessment on drift exposures of naled, dichlorvos (naled metabolite) and permethrin to adult butterflies. The Science of the total environment, 502, 252–265. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2014.09.027
- Monitoring the aquatic toxicity of mosquito vector control spray pesticides to freshwater receiving waters. Phillips, B. M., Anderson, B. S., Voorhees, J. P., Siegler, K., Denton, D., TenBrook, P., Larsen, K., Isorena, P., & Tjeerdema, R. S. (2014). Monitoring the aquatic toxicity of mosquito vector control spray pesticides to freshwater receiving waters. Integrated environmental assessment and management, 10(3), 449–455. https://doi.org/10.1002/ieam.1534
- Use of butterflies as nontarget insect test species and the acute toxicity and hazard of mosquito control insecticides. Hoang, T. C., Pryor, R. L., Rand, G. M., & Frakes, R. A. (2011). Use of butterflies as nontarget insect test species and the acute toxicity and hazard of mosquito control insecticides. Environmental toxicology and chemistry, 30(4), 997–1005. https://doi.org/10.1002/etc.462
- Occurrence of pyrethroids in the atmosphere of urban areas of Southeastern Brazil: Inhalation exposure and health risk assessment. Guida, Y., Pozo, K., Carvalho, G. O., Capella, R., Targino, A. C., Torres, J. P. M., & Meire, R. O. (2021). Occurrence of pyrethroids in the atmosphere of urban areas of Southeastern Brazil: Inhalation exposure and health risk assessment. Environmental pollution (Barking, Essex : 1987), 290, 118020. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2021.118020
- Characterizing pyrethroid and fipronil concentrations in biosolids. Wheeler, J., Black, G. P., Hladik, M. L., Sanders, C. J., Teerlink, J., Wong, L., Zhang, X., Budd, R., & Young, T. M. (2025). Characterizing pyrethroid and fipronil concentrations in biosolids. The Science of the total environment, 969, 178954. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2025.178954
- The effects of permethrin on rat ovarian tissue morphology. Kotil, T., & Yön, N. D. (2015). The effects of permethrin on rat ovarian tissue morphology. Experimental and toxicologic pathology : official journal of the Gesellschaft fur Toxikologische Pathologie, 67(3), 279–285. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.etp.2015.01.005
- American Healthy Homes Survey: A National Study of Residential Pesticides Measured from Floor Wipes. Stout, D. M., 2nd, Bradham, K. D., Egeghy, P. P., Jones, P. A., Croghan, C. W., Ashley, P. A., Pinzer, E., Friedman, W., Brinkman, M. C., Nishioka, M. G., & Cox, D. C. (2009). American Healthy Homes Survey: a national study of residential pesticides measured from floor wipes. Environmental science & technology, 43(12), 4294–4300. https://doi.org/10.1021/es8030243
- Pyrethroid exposure alters internal and cuticle surface bacterial communities in Anopheles albimanus. Nsa Dada, Juan C Lol, Ana Cristina Benedict, Francisco López, Mili Sheth, Nicole Dzuris, Norma Padilla, Audrey Lenhart, Pyrethroid exposure alters internal and cuticle surface bacterial communities in Anopheles albimanus, The ISME Journal, Volume 13, Issue 10, October 2019, Pages 2447–2464, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41396-019-0445-5
- Bioaccumulation of pesticide contaminants in tissue matrices of dogs suffering from malignant canine mammary tumors in Punjab, India. Gautam, S., Sood, N. K., Gupta, K., Joshi, C., Gill, K. K., Kaur, R., & Chauhan, I. (2020). Bioaccumulation of pesticide contaminants in tissue matrices of dogs suffering from malignant canine mammary tumors in Punjab, India. Heliyon, 6(10), e05274. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2020.e05274
- Mapping pesticide-induced metabolic alterations in human gut bacteria. Chen, L. et al. (2025) Mapping pesticide-induced metabolic alterations in human gut bacteria, Nature Communications. Available at: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-59747-6.
- Complex chemical cocktail, containing insecticides diazinon and permethrin, drives acute toxicity to crustaceans in mountain lakes. Machate, O., Schmeller, D. S., Loyau, A., Paschke, A., Krauss, M., Carmona, E., Schulze, T., Moyer, A., Lutz, K., & Brack, W. (2022). Complex chemical cocktail, containing insecticides diazinon and permethrin, drives acute toxicity to crustaceans in mountain lakes. The Science of the total environment, 828, 154456. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.154456
- Pyrethroid insecticides implicated in mass mortality of monarch butterflies at an overwintering site in California. Cibotti, S. et al. (2025) Pyrethroid insecticides implicated in mass mortality of monarch butterflies at an overwintering site in California, Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry. Available at: https://academic.oup.com/etc/advance-article-abstract/doi/10.1093/etojnl/vgaf163/8177160.
- Associations of specific pesticides and incident rheumatoid arthritis among female spouses in the Agricultural Health Study. Parks, C. et al. (2025) Associations of specific pesticides and incident rheumatoid arthritis among female spouses in the Agricultural Health Study, Arthritis & Rheumatology. Available at: https://acrjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/art.43318.
- Epigenome-wide association study for pesticide (Permethrin and DEET) induced DNA methylation epimutation biomarkers for specific transgenerational disease. Thorson, J.L.M., Beck, D., Ben Maamar, M. et al. Epigenome-wide association study for pesticide (Permethrin and DEET) induced DNA methylation epimutation biomarkers for specific transgenerational disease. Environ Health 19, 109 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12940-020-00666-y
- Urinary pesticide biomarkers from adolescence to young adulthood in an agricultural setting in Ecuador: Study of secondary exposure to pesticides among children, adolescents, and adults (ESPINA) 2016 and 2022 examination data. Parajuli, R. et al. (2025) Urinary pesticide biomarkers from adolescence to young adulthood in an agricultural setting in Ecuador: Study of secondary exposure to pesticides among children, adolescents, and adults (ESPINA) 2016 and 2022 examination data, Data in Brief. Available at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352340925006067.
- Permethrin Stimulates Fat Accumulation via Regulating Gut Microbiota and Its Metabolites in Mice. Lin, J. et al. (2025) Permethrin Stimulates Fat Accumulation via Regulating Gut Microbiota and Its Metabolites in Mice, Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. Available at: https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.jafc.5c05013.
- Long-term low-dose exposure of permethrin induces liver and kidney damage in rats. Sun, YJ., Liang, YJ., Yang, L. et al. Long-term low-dose exposure of permethrin induces liver and kidney damage in rats. BMC Pharmacol Toxicol 23, 46 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40360-022-00586-2
- Permethrin Alters Adipogenesis in 3T3-L1 Adipocytes and Causes Insulin Resistance in C2C12 Myotubes. Kim, J., Park, Y., Yoon, K.S., Clark, J.M. and Park, Y. (2014), Permethrin Alters Adipogenesis in 3T3-L1 Adipocytes and Causes Insulin Resistance in C2C12 Myotubes. J Biochem Mol Toxicol, 28: 418-424. https://doi.org/10.1002/jbt.21580
- Permethrin and ivermectin modulate lipid metabolism in steatosis-induced HepG2 hepatocyte. Yang, Jason S et al. “Permethrin and ivermectin modulate lipid metabolism in steatosis-induced HepG2 hepatocyte.” Food and chemical toxicology : an international journal published for the British Industrial Biological Research Association vol. 125 (2019): 595-604. doi:10.1016/j.fct.2019.02.005
- Multi- and transgenerational effects following early-life exposure of zebrafish to permethrin and coumarin 47: Impact on growth, fertility, behavior and lipid metabolism. Blanc, Mélanie et al. “Multi- and transgenerational effects following early-life exposure of zebrafish to permethrin and coumarin 47: Impact on growth, fertility, behavior and lipid metabolism.” Ecotoxicology and environmental safety vol. 205 (2020): 111348. doi:10.1016/j.ecoenv.2020.111348
- The insecticide permethrin induces transgenerational behavioral changes linked to transcriptomic and epigenetic alterations in zebrafish (Danio rerio). Blanc, Mélanie et al. “The insecticide permethrin induces transgenerational behavioral changes linked to transcriptomic and epigenetic alterations in zebrafish (Danio rerio).” The Science of the total environment vol. 779 (2021): 146404. doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.146404
- Exposure to permethrin promotes high fat diet-induced weight gain and insulin resistance in male C57BL/6J mice. Xiao, Xiao et al. “Exposure to permethrin promotes high fat diet-induced weight gain and insulin resistance in male C57BL/6J mice.” Food and chemical toxicology : an international journal published for the British Industrial Biological Research Association vol. 111 (2018): 405-416. doi:10.1016/j.fct.2017.11.047
- Permethrin alters glucose metabolism in conjunction with high fat diet by potentiating insulin resistance and decreases voluntary activities in female C57BL/6J mice. Xiao, Xiao et al. “Permethrin alters glucose metabolism in conjunction with high fat diet by potentiating insulin resistance and decreases voluntary activities in female C57BL/6J mice.” Food and chemical toxicology : an international journal published for the British Industrial Biological Research Association vol. 108,Pt A (2017): 161-170. doi:10.1016/j.fct.2017.07.053
- Non-dietary personal pesticide exposure using silicone wristbands across 10 European countries. Figueiredo, D. et al. (2025) Non-dietary personal pesticide exposure using silicone wristbands across 10 European countries, Environment International. Available at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160412025004854.
Gateway Health and Environmental Effects Citations
1. EPA weight-of-evidence category, "possible human carcinogen." US EPA, 2004. Office of Pesticide Programs. List of Chemicals Evaluated for Carcinogenic Potential. July 29, 2004. http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/carlist/
2. Pesticide Action Network Pesticide Database. http://www.pesticideinfo.org/Search_Chemicals.jsp.
3. Illinois EPA, Endocrine Disruptors Strategy, February 1997. https://nepis.epa.gov/Exe/ZyNET.exe/910140ZK.txt
4. Frazier, L. and M.L. Hage. 2001. Reproductive Hazards of the Workplace. Europe: Wiley. Table 10: Partial List of Reproductive Toxins. https://web.archive.org/web/20100624221623/http://www.biosci.osu.edu/safety/CHP/Tables2001/Table10-11-00.pdf.
5. US EPA, 2000. Table 1: Toxicity Data by Category for Chemicals Listed under EPCRA Section 313. Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) Program. https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/documents/hazard_categories.pdf
6. Extension Toxicology Network (EXTOXNET) Pesticide Information Profiles. http://extoxnet.orst.edu/pips/ghindex.html
7. Beyond Pesticides ChemWatch Factsheets. (Cited under factsheets on Beyond Pesticides Gateway; see top of individual chemical page)
8. US EPA, Office of Prevention, Pesticides and Toxic Substances, Reregistration Eligibility Decisions (REDs), Interim REDS (iREDs) and RED Factsheets. https://archive.epa.gov/pesticides/reregistration/web/html/status.html.