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Gateway on Pesticide Hazards and Safe Pest Management
Bacillus Thuringiensis (Bt)
including israelensis, kurstaki, aizawai, tenebrionis strains
General Information
- Fact Sheet: bacillus thuringiensis.pdf
- Product Names:
- Chemical Class: Microbial insecticide; Soil bacterium
- Uses: Used to control Coleoptera, Lepidoptera or Diptera insects in field, greenhouse, water-grown crops, ornamentals, nursery, forest, food/nonfood storage, and standing waters.
Approved uses in Organic Agriculture, Aquaculture, Least-toxic mosquito control.
Health and Environmental Effects
- Cancer: No
- Endocrine Disruption: Insufficiently Studied
- Reproductive Effects: Insufficiently Studied
- Neurotoxicity: Insufficiently Studied
- Kidney/Liver Damage: Insufficiently Studied
- Sensitizer/ Irritant: Possible (226)
- Birth/Developmental: Insufficiently Studied
- Detected in Groundwater: Not Likely
- Potential Leacher: Insufficiently Studied
- Toxic to Birds: Not Likely
- Toxic to Fish/Aquatic Organisms: Possible: kurstaki and israelensis [moderate]; aizawai [high] (226)
- Toxic to Bees: Yes: aizawai strain (7)
Residential Uses as Found in the ManageSafe™ Database
Additional Information
- Regulatory Status:
- Supporting information:
- Beyond Pesticides' GE page
- Bt Factsheet (National Pesticide Information Center)
- Bt Fact Sheet (Northwest Coalition for Alternatives to Pesticides)
- PAN Pesticides Database: Bt (Pesticide Action Network)
- Studies:
- Field-evolved resistance by western corn rootworm to multiple Bacillus thuringiensis toxins in transgenic maize [Gassmann, A., et al. PNAS. 111(14):5141-5146]
