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Updates from the Daily News Blog

Pesticide Exposure in Early Childhood Linked to Neurobehavioral Disorders, Study Finds
November 26, 2024

EPA Inspector General Report Cites Agency Failures in Cleanup of Wood Preservatives at Superfund Site
April 23, 2024

Legacy of Chemical Contamination and Weak Environmental Law Seen in DDT Dump Off California's Coast
March 28, 2023

With Market Collapse, EPA Cancels Highly Hazardous Wood Preservative Years after Worldwide Ban
February 8, 2022

Commentary: Will Playing Fields, Parks, and Lawns Be Safe After Glyphosate in Roundup Residential Use Ends in 2023?
July 30, 2021

EPA Proposes Cancellation of Highly Toxic Wood Preservative Pentachlorophenol ("Penta")
March 9, 2021

Take Action by Sept. 13: Tell Canada to Ban Horrifically Hazardous Wood Preservative Pentachlorophenol
September 8, 2020

As the World Bans Highly Toxic Wood Preservative, Pentachlorophenol, a Low-Income U.S. Community May Be Home to the Last Production Plant
March 10, 2020

Settlement Reached in Lawsuit Over Dioxin Contamination from Poison Poles in Central California
September 14, 2018

Label Warning on Dangerous PCP-Treated Poles Deemed Unconstitutional
March 3, 2016

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Pentachlorophenol

General Information

• Product Names:

  Penta 5 Sure-Treat Wood Preserver (KMG-Bernuth)
  Dura-Treet 40 Wood Preserve (KMG-Bernuth)
  Pentacon (KMG-Bernuth)

• Chemical Class: Chlorophenol compound
• Uses: Restricted use heavy duty wood preservative (fungicide, bactericide, herbicide, molluscicide, algaecide and insecticide) targets carpenter ants, mold, powderpost beetles, termites, wood rot/decaying fungus, wood rot/decaying organisms, wood stain fungus.
• Alternatives: Wood preservative
• Beyond Pesticides rating: Toxic

Health and Environmental Effects

• Cancer: Probable (1)
• Endocrine Disruption: Probable (2)
• Reproductive Effects: Yes (3)
• Neurotoxicity: Yes (3)
• Kidney/Liver Damage: Yes (3)
• Sensitizer/ Irritant: Yes (3)
• Birth/Developmental: Yes (3)
• Detected in Groundwater: Yes (3)
• Potential Leacher: Yes (3)
• Toxic to Birds: Yes (4)
• Toxic to Fish/Aquatic Organisms: Yes (3)
• Toxic to Bees: Not documented

Additional Information

• Regulatory Status:
  • EPA Reregistration Eligibility Decision (RED) signed (9/2008)
  • Beyond Pesticides' Revised Risk Assessment comments (6/2008)
• Supporting information:
  • Wood Preservatives Campaign (Beyond Pesticides)
  • Poison Poles (Beyond Pesticides, 1999)
  • Pole Pollution (Beyond Pesticides, 1997)
  • NCAP Pentachlorophenol Factsheet (Northwest Coalition for Alternatives to Pesticides)
  • Extoxnet Pentachlorophenol Factsheet (Extension Toxicology Network)
  • PAN Pesticides Database:Pentachlorophenol (Pesticide Action Network)
  • Scorecard Pentachlorophenol Factsheet (The Pollution Information Site)
  • Pentachlorophenol Factsheet (Washington Toxics Coalition)
• Studies [compiled from the Pesticide-Induced Diseases Database]
  • Identifying childhood pesticide exposure trajectories and critical window associated with behavioral problems at 10 years of age: Findings from SMBCS. Ding, J. et al. (2024) Identifying childhood pesticide exposure trajectories and critical window associated with behavioral problems at 10 years of age: Findings from SMBCS, Environment International. Available at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160412024006652.
  • 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.