Gateway on Pesticide Hazards and Safe Pest Management

Beyond Pesticides offers resources below to evaluate the health and ecological effects of specific chemical exposure from ACTIVE INGREDIENTS in pesticide products, as well as regulatory information and supporting scientific documents. Because various pesticide products can contain more than one active ingredient, it is important to READ the LABEL to determine chemical components.

With 192 different active ingredients and counting, it is essential to establish the connection between the use of these chemicals and their respective hazards.

View the step-by-step guide on how to search for the active ingredient(s) in pesticide products below:

1. Go to U.S. EPA's Pesticide Product and Label System and enter the product name. The generic product name may vary.
   
2. After searching, click on the chemical ingredients tab or the link for the most recent label to find Active Ingredients.
                Chemical List                                            Label List 
   
   If one selects the chemical ingredients tab, skip to Step 4 . If not, proceed to step number 3
   
   
3. To find the active ingredient(s) on the label, search for the page in the document containing the date of registration. Usually, the active ingredients section occurs within the first few pages of the label document.
   
   
4. Return to the Beyond Pesticides Gateway and search for the active ingredient name in the yellow box to the right or from the list below. 
   
   

Imazethapyr

General Information

• Product Names:
  Authority (FMC)
  Clearpath (BASF)
  Lightning (BASF)
  Optill (BASF) formulated with Saflufenacil
  Pursuit (BASF)
  Camo (Albaugh) formulated with Fomesafen Sodium

• Chemical Class: Imidazole compound
• Uses: Controls grasses and broadleaved weeds including barnyardgrass, crabgrass, cocklebur, panicums, pigweeds, nightshade, mustard, smartweed, velvetleaf, jimsonweed, foxtails, seedling johnsongrass, lambsquarters, morningglory and others.
• Alternatives: Organic agriculture

Health and Environmental Effects

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

Additional Information

• Supporting information:
  • Extoxnet Imezthapyr Factsheet (Extension Toxicology Network)
  • PAN Pesticides Database: Imezthapyr (Pesticide Action Network)
• Studies:
• A weight-of-evidence review of colorectal cancer in pesticide applicators: the agricultural health study and other epidemiologic studies.. Alexander DD, Weed DL, Mink PJ, Mitchell ME. 2012. Int Arch Occup Environ Health. 85(7):715-45.
• Heterocyclic aromatic amine pesticide use and human cancer risk: results form the U.S. Agricultural Health Study. Koutros, S., et al. 2009. Int J Cancer 124(5):1206-1212.
• The effect of microplastics on behaviors of chiral imidazolinone herbicides in the aquatic environment: Residue, degradation and distribution. Hu, M., Hou, N., Li, Y., Liu, Y., Zhang, H., Zeng, D., & Tan, H. (2021). The effect of microplastics on behaviors of chiral imidazolinone herbicides in the aquatic environment: Residue, degradation and distribution. Journal of hazardous materials, 418, 126176. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2021.126176