Gateway on Pesticide Hazards and Safe Pest Management

Thymol oil

General Information

• Product Names:
  Exomite (Bayer)
  Thymo-Cide (Wexford Labs)
  API Life (Chemicals LAIF) formulated with Oil of Eucalyptus, and Menthol
  Apiguard (Vita Limited)
  Benefect Broad Spectrum Disinfectant (Oh So Clean)
  Clean Well Broad Spectrum Disinfectant (Oh So Clean
  Thymox Disinfectant Spray (Laboratorie M2)

• Chemical Class: Miticide, antimicrobial
• Uses: Animal repellents, fungicides/fungistats, medical disinfectants, tuberculocides, and virucides. Also used as a miticide in beehives. Variety of indoor and outdoor sites to control target pests including animal pathogenic bacteria and fungi, several viruses including HIV-I, and birds, squirrels, beavers, rats, mice, dogs, cats and deer. Thymol also has many non-pesticidal uses, including use in perfumes, food flavorings, mouthwashes, pharmaceutical preparations and cosmetics.
• Beyond Pesticides rating: Least-toxic

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 (53)
• 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

• Regulatory Status:
  • EPA Reregistration Eligibility Decision (RED) signed (9/1993)
  • EPA factsheet