Gateway on Pesticide Hazards and Safe Pest Management

Updates from the Daily News Blog

Pesticides Found in Marine Atmosphere Over Deep Atlantic Ocean, Documented for the First Time
April 16, 2025

Sleep Disorders in Farmers and Farmworkers Linked to Pesticide Exposure in Study Supporting Similar Findings
January 31, 2025

Exposure to Certain Pesticides Increase the Risk of Thyroid Cancer
May 27, 2021

Pesticides Found in Long Island Drinking Water
April 9, 2013

Agricultural Fungicides Contaminate Waters Downstream
November 17, 2010

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Metalaxyl

General Information

• Chemical Class: Benzenoid
• Uses: Fungicide used to control plant diseases caused by the Oomycetes or water-mold fungi. It is used on many food and feed crops, and on non-food, residential and greenhouse crops such as tobacco, ornamental plants, trees, shrubs and vines, and lawns and turf.
• Alternatives: Organic agriculture
• Beyond Pesticides rating: Toxic

Health and Environmental Effects

• Cancer: Not documented
• Endocrine Disruption: Likely (221)
• Reproductive Effects: Not documented
• Neurotoxicity: Not documented
• Kidney/Liver Damage: Yes (4)
• Sensitizer/ Irritant: Yes (8)
• Birth/Developmental: Not documented
• Detected in Groundwater: Not documented
• Potential Leacher: Not documented
• Toxic to Birds: Yes (40)
• Toxic to Fish/Aquatic Organisms: Not documented
• Toxic to Bees: Not documented

Residential Uses as Found in the ManageSafe™ Database

• Mold

Additional Information

• Regulatory Status:
  • EPA Reregistration Eligibility Decision (RED) signed (9/1994)
• Supporting information:
  • Extoxnet Metalaxyl Factsheet (Extension Toxicology Network)
  • PAN Pesticides Database - Metalaxyl (Pesticide Action Network)
• Studies:
• Pesticide exposure and sleep disorder: A cross-sectional study among Thai farmers. Juntarawijit, C. et al. (2025) Pesticide exposure and sleep disorder: A cross-sectional study among Thai farmers, Heliyon. Available at: https://www.cell.com/heliyon/fulltext/S2405-8440(24)17154-X.
• Pesticide exposure and risk of cardiovascular disease: A systematic review. Zago, A. M., Faria, N. M. X., Fávero, J. L., Meucci, R. D., Woskie, S., & Fassa, A. G. (2022). Pesticide exposure and risk of cardiovascular disease: A systematic review. Global public health, 17(12), 3944–3966. https://doi.org/10.1080/17441692.2020.1808693
• Different effects of polyethylene microplastics on bioaccumulation of three fungicides in maize (Zea mays L.). Qiu, S., Shen, H., Song, J. et al. Different effects of polyethylene microplastics on bioaccumulation of three fungicides in maize (Zea mays L.). Crop Health 2, 7 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s44297-024-00028-x
• Assessing pesticide residue occurrence and risks in the environment across Europe and Argentina. Alaoui, A., Christ, F., Abrantes, N., Silva, V., González, N., Gai, L., Harkes, P., Navarro, I., Torre, A., Martínez, M. Á., Norgaard, T., Vested, A., Schlünssen, V., Aparicio, V. C., Campos, I., Pasković, I., Pasković, M. P., Glavan, M., Ritsema, C., & Geissen, V. (2024). Assessing pesticide residue occurrence and risks in the environment across Europe and Argentina. Environmental pollution (Barking, Essex : 1987), 363(Pt 1), 125056. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2024.125056
• Currently used and legacy pesticides in the marine atmosphere from Patagonia to Europe. Debler, F., Gandrass, J., Paul Ramacher, M. O., Koenig, A. M., Zimmermann, S., & Joerss, H. (2025). Currently used and legacy pesticides in the marine atmosphere from Patagonia to Europe. Environmental pollution (Barking, Essex : 1987), 373, 126175. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2025.126175