Benzoic acid |
Last updated: 24/10/2024 |
(Also known as: dracylic acid; benzeneformic acid; flowers of benjamin) |
SUMMARY |
Benzoic acid is used as a multi-purpose insecticide, fungicide and preservative sometimes added to food-grade oils. It is highly soluble in water and is non-volatile. It tends not to be persistent in soil systems and is not expected to leach to groundwater. Generally, its toxicity to biodiversity is low. It also has a low toxicity to mammals if ingested although there are some concerns regarding its potential as a reproduction/developmental toxin. It is a skin and eye irritant. |
Data alerts |
The following alerts are based on the data in the tables below. An absence of an alert does not imply the substance has no implications for human health, biodiversity or the environment but just that we do not have the data to form a judgement.
Environmental fate | Ecotoxicity | Human health |
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Used as a multi purpose insecticide, fungicide and preservative sometimes added to food-grade oils | |
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Microbial pathogens | |
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Equipment and machinery where incidental food contact may occur; Rooms and buildings where food is grown or stored] | |
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Current | |
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UK regulatory status |
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Approved | ||
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31/08/2032 | ||
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None |
EC Regulation 1107/2009 (repealing 91/414) |
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Approved | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Hungary/Netherlands | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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31/08/2032 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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No | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Yes | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Additional information |
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Chemical structure |
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None | |
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C₇H₆O | |
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C1=CC=C(C=C1)C(=O)O | |
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No data | |
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WPYMKLBDIGXBTP-UHFFFAOYSA-N | |
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InChI=1S/C7H6O2/c8-7(9)6-4-2-1-3-5-6/h1-5H,(H,8,9) | |
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Yes |
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Common Name | Relationship | Link |
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benzoic acid | - |
General status |
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Insecticide, Fungicide, Other substance | |
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Microbiocide, Preservative, Disinfectant, Algicide | |
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Aromatic carboxylic acid pesticide | |
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99% | |
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EU dossier: None declared | |
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Synthetic | |
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Contact action, non-selective | |
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65-85-0 | |
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200-618-2 | |
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622 | |
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009101 | |
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243 | |
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No data found | |
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122.12 | |
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- | |
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benzoic acid | |
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carboxybenzene | |
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Food and Feed additive as a acidity regulator (FLAVIS no. 08.021) | |
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- | |
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Not applicable | |
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Not applicable | |
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UNM | |
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None allocated | |
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White crystalline solid |
Formulations |
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Usually supplied as a soluble concentrate |
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6930 | A5 A = EU regulatory and evaluation data as published by EC, EFSA (RAR, DAR & Conclusion dossiers), EMA (e.g. EU Annex III PIC DGD) (EU - Pesticides database; EFSA Scientific Publications ) 5 = Verified data used for regulatory purposes |
High | ||||||||
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41400 | A5 A = EU regulatory and evaluation data as published by EC, EFSA (RAR, DAR & Conclusion dossiers), EMA (e.g. EU Annex III PIC DGD) (EU - Pesticides database; EFSA Scientific Publications ) Carbon tetrachloride5 = Verified data used for regulatory purposes |
- | ||||||||
556000 | A5 A = EU regulatory and evaluation data as published by EC, EFSA (RAR, DAR & Conclusion dossiers), EMA (e.g. EU Annex III PIC DGD) (EU - Pesticides database; EFSA Scientific Publications ) Acetone5 = Verified data used for regulatory purposes |
- | |||||||||
9400 | A5 A = EU regulatory and evaluation data as published by EC, EFSA (RAR, DAR & Conclusion dossiers), EMA (e.g. EU Annex III PIC DGD) (EU - Pesticides database; EFSA Scientific Publications ) Hexane5 = Verified data used for regulatory purposes |
- | |||||||||
715000 | A5 A = EU regulatory and evaluation data as published by EC, EFSA (RAR, DAR & Conclusion dossiers), EMA (e.g. EU Annex III PIC DGD) (EU - Pesticides database; EFSA Scientific Publications ) Methanol5 = Verified data used for regulatory purposes |
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122.4 | A5 A = EU regulatory and evaluation data as published by EC, EFSA (RAR, DAR & Conclusion dossiers), EMA (e.g. EU Annex III PIC DGD) (EU - Pesticides database; EFSA Scientific Publications ) 5 = Verified data used for regulatory purposes |
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249.2 | A5 A = EU regulatory and evaluation data as published by EC, EFSA (RAR, DAR & Conclusion dossiers), EMA (e.g. EU Annex III PIC DGD) (EU - Pesticides database; EFSA Scientific Publications ) 5 = Verified data used for regulatory purposes |
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>100 | A5 A = EU regulatory and evaluation data as published by EC, EFSA (RAR, DAR & Conclusion dossiers), EMA (e.g. EU Annex III PIC DGD) (EU - Pesticides database; EFSA Scientific Publications ) 5 = Verified data used for regulatory purposes |
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7.41 X 1001 | Calculated | - | |||||||
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1.87 | A5 A = EU regulatory and evaluation data as published by EC, EFSA (RAR, DAR & Conclusion dossiers), EMA (e.g. EU Annex III PIC DGD) (EU - Pesticides database; EFSA Scientific Publications ) 5 = Verified data used for regulatory purposes |
Low | ||||||||
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Insoluble | A5 A = EU regulatory and evaluation data as published by EC, EFSA (RAR, DAR & Conclusion dossiers), EMA (e.g. EU Annex III PIC DGD) (EU - Pesticides database; EFSA Scientific Publications ) 5 = Verified data used for regulatory purposes |
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Regulatory data based on LogP | A5 A = EU regulatory and evaluation data as published by EC, EFSA (RAR, DAR & Conclusion dossiers), EMA (e.g. EU Annex III PIC DGD) (EU - Pesticides database; EFSA Scientific Publications ) 5 = Verified data used for regulatory purposes |
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1.32 | A5 A = EU regulatory and evaluation data as published by EC, EFSA (RAR, DAR & Conclusion dossiers), EMA (e.g. EU Annex III PIC DGD) (EU - Pesticides database; EFSA Scientific Publications ) 5 = Verified data used for regulatory purposes |
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4.19 | A5 A = EU regulatory and evaluation data as published by EC, EFSA (RAR, DAR & Conclusion dossiers), EMA (e.g. EU Annex III PIC DGD) (EU - Pesticides database; EFSA Scientific Publications ) 5 = Verified data used for regulatory purposes |
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Weak acid | |||||||||||
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320 | A4 A = EU regulatory and evaluation data as published by EC, EFSA (RAR, DAR & Conclusion dossiers), EMA (e.g. EU Annex III PIC DGD) (EU - Pesticides database; EFSA Scientific Publications ) 4 = Verified data |
Highly volatile. If applied directly to plants or soil, drift is a concern & mitigation is advisable | ||||||||
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6.714 X 10-04 | A5 A = EU regulatory and evaluation data as published by EC, EFSA (RAR, DAR & Conclusion dossiers), EMA (e.g. EU Annex III PIC DGD) (EU - Pesticides database; EFSA Scientific Publications ) 5 = Verified data used for regulatory purposes |
Non-volatile | ||||||||
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pH 2: max @ 230nm pH 4 max @ 228nm pH 7 max at 224nm |
A5 A = EU regulatory and evaluation data as published by EC, EFSA (RAR, DAR & Conclusion dossiers), EMA (e.g. EU Annex III PIC DGD) (EU - Pesticides database; EFSA Scientific Publications ) 5 = Verified data used for regulatory purposes |
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60.0 | A5 A = EU regulatory and evaluation data as published by EC, EFSA (RAR, DAR & Conclusion dossiers), EMA (e.g. EU Annex III PIC DGD) (EU - Pesticides database; EFSA Scientific Publications ) 5 = Verified data used for regulatory purposes |
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Degradation |
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0.5 | A5 A = EU regulatory and evaluation data as published by EC, EFSA (RAR, DAR & Conclusion dossiers), EMA (e.g. EU Annex III PIC DGD) (EU - Pesticides database; EFSA Scientific Publications ) 5 = Verified data used for regulatory purposes |
Non-persistent | |||||||
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0.5 | A5 A = EU regulatory and evaluation data as published by EC, EFSA (RAR, DAR & Conclusion dossiers), EMA (e.g. EU Annex III PIC DGD) (EU - Pesticides database; EFSA Scientific Publications ) 5 = Verified data used for regulatory purposes |
Non-persistent | ||||||||
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2.1 | A3 A = EU regulatory and evaluation data as published by EC, EFSA (RAR, DAR & Conclusion dossiers), EMA (e.g. EU Annex III PIC DGD) (EU - Pesticides database; EFSA Scientific Publications ) 3 = Unverified data of known source |
Non-persistent | ||||||||
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EU dossier (RAR 2015) lab studies DT₅₀ range 0.23-0.62 days, Soils=3; General literature give DT₅₀ 1-10 days | ||||||||||
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As this parameter is not normally measured directly, a surrogate measure is used: ‘Photochemical oxidative DT₅₀’. Where data is available, this can be found in the Fate Indices section below. | ||||||||||
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Soil adsorption and mobility |
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- | V1 V = ChemID Online Databases; Chemspider; PubChem. (ChemID ) 1 = Estimated data with little or no verification |
Moderately mobile | |||||||
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250 | ||||||||||
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Estimated | ||||||||||
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1.66 | A3 A = EU regulatory and evaluation data as published by EC, EFSA (RAR, DAR & Conclusion dossiers), EMA (e.g. EU Annex III PIC DGD) (EU - Pesticides database; EFSA Scientific Publications ) 3 = Unverified data of known source |
Slightly mobile | |||||||
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547 | ||||||||||
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0.9 | ||||||||||
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EU dossier (2015 RAR) scant & incomplete data Kf range 0.23-3.56 mL g⁻¹, Kfoc range 18-1550 mL g⁻¹ | ||||||||||
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Fate indices |
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-0.38 | Calculated | Low leachability | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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8.02 X 10-05 | Calculated | - | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Low | Calculated | - | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Moderately mobile | Calculated | - | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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3.16 | F4 F = U.S. EPA ECOTOX database / U.S. EPA pesticide fate database / Miscellaneous WHO documents / FAO data, IPCS INCHEM data (US EPA Databases Related to Pesticide Risk Assessment ) 4 = Verified data |
Low potential | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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No data | - |
Known soil and groundwater metabolites |
None
Other known metabolites |
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Benzoylaminoethanoic acid | Hippuric acid | Human (Urine) | - | ||||
Benzoyl-glucuronic acid | - | Human (Urine) | - |
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Terrestrial ecotoxicology |
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> 2100 | A5 A = EU regulatory and evaluation data as published by EC, EFSA (RAR, DAR & Conclusion dossiers), EMA (e.g. EU Annex III PIC DGD) (EU - Pesticides database; EFSA Scientific Publications ) Rat5 = Verified data used for regulatory purposes |
Low | ||||||||
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384 | A4 A = EU regulatory and evaluation data as published by EC, EFSA (RAR, DAR & Conclusion dossiers), EMA (e.g. EU Annex III PIC DGD) (EU - Pesticides database; EFSA Scientific Publications ) Eisenia foetida4 = Verified data |
Moderate | ||||||||
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Aquatic ecotoxicology |
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> 120 | A5 A = EU regulatory and evaluation data as published by EC, EFSA (RAR, DAR & Conclusion dossiers), EMA (e.g. EU Annex III PIC DGD) (EU - Pesticides database; EFSA Scientific Publications ) Oncorhynchus mykiss5 = Verified data used for regulatory purposes |
Low | ||||||||
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90.5 | A5 A = EU regulatory and evaluation data as published by EC, EFSA (RAR, DAR & Conclusion dossiers), EMA (e.g. EU Annex III PIC DGD) (EU - Pesticides database; EFSA Scientific Publications ) Oncorhynchus mykiss5 = Verified data used for regulatory purposes |
Low | ||||||||
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> 120 | A5 A = EU regulatory and evaluation data as published by EC, EFSA (RAR, DAR & Conclusion dossiers), EMA (e.g. EU Annex III PIC DGD) (EU - Pesticides database; EFSA Scientific Publications ) Daphnia magna5 = Verified data used for regulatory purposes |
Low | ||||||||
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55 | A5 A = EU regulatory and evaluation data as published by EC, EFSA (RAR, DAR & Conclusion dossiers), EMA (e.g. EU Annex III PIC DGD) (EU - Pesticides database; EFSA Scientific Publications ) Daphnia magna5 = Verified data used for regulatory purposes |
Low | ||||||||
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> 10 | F4 F = U.S. EPA ECOTOX database / U.S. EPA pesticide fate database / Miscellaneous WHO documents / FAO data, IPCS INCHEM data (US EPA Databases Related to Pesticide Risk Assessment ) Scenedesmus quadricauda4 = Verified data |
Low | ||||||||
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General |
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Low (class I) | - | - | ||||||||
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> 2100 | A5 A = EU regulatory and evaluation data as published by EC, EFSA (RAR, DAR & Conclusion dossiers), EMA (e.g. EU Annex III PIC DGD) (EU - Pesticides database; EFSA Scientific Publications ) Rat5 = Verified data used for regulatory purposes |
Low | ||||||||
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2000 | A5 A = EU regulatory and evaluation data as published by EC, EFSA (RAR, DAR & Conclusion dossiers), EMA (e.g. EU Annex III PIC DGD) (EU - Pesticides database; EFSA Scientific Publications ) Rabbit5 = Verified data used for regulatory purposes |
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> 1.2 | A5 A = EU regulatory and evaluation data as published by EC, EFSA (RAR, DAR & Conclusion dossiers), EMA (e.g. EU Annex III PIC DGD) (EU - Pesticides database; EFSA Scientific Publications ) Rat 6 hr (whole body)5 = Verified data used for regulatory purposes |
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5.0 | A5 A = EU regulatory and evaluation data as published by EC, EFSA (RAR, DAR & Conclusion dossiers), EMA (e.g. EU Annex III PIC DGD) (EU - Pesticides database; EFSA Scientific Publications ) Rat SF=1005 = Verified data used for regulatory purposes |
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None allocated | A5 A = EU regulatory and evaluation data as published by EC, EFSA (RAR, DAR & Conclusion dossiers), EMA (e.g. EU Annex III PIC DGD) (EU - Pesticides database; EFSA Scientific Publications ) 5 = Verified data used for regulatory purposes |
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5.0 | A5 A = EU regulatory and evaluation data as published by EC, EFSA (RAR, DAR & Conclusion dossiers), EMA (e.g. EU Annex III PIC DGD) (EU - Pesticides database; EFSA Scientific Publications ) Rat SF=1005 = Verified data used for regulatory purposes |
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100 | A3 A = EU regulatory and evaluation data as published by EC, EFSA (RAR, DAR & Conclusion dossiers), EMA (e.g. EU Annex III PIC DGD) (EU - Pesticides database; EFSA Scientific Publications ) default3 = Unverified data of known source |
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Risks acceptable for intended uses | |||||||||
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Risks acceptable for intended uses | ||||||||||
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Excreted as hippuric acid in urine | A5 A = EU regulatory and evaluation data as published by EC, EFSA (RAR, DAR & Conclusion dossiers), EMA (e.g. EU Annex III PIC DGD) (EU - Pesticides database; EFSA Scientific Publications ) 5 = Verified data used for regulatory purposes |
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Health issues |
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Large oral doses may cause abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting May cause urticaria, asthma, rhinitis and anaphylactic shock Possible liver, kidney and brain toxicant |
Handling issues |
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Not explosive or oxidising Not expected to auto-ignite; Not highly flammable |
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Health: H315, H372, H318 | |||
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Not listed (Not listed) | |||
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benzoic acid | ||
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acide benzoique | ||
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Benzoesäure | ||
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acido benzoico | ||
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acido benzoico | ||
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Record last updated: | 24/10/2024 |
Contact: | aeru@herts.ac.uk |
Please cite as: | Lewis, K.A., Tzilivakis, J., Warner, D. and Green, A. (2016) An international database for pesticide risk assessments and management. Human and Ecological Risk Assessment: An International Journal, 22(4), 1050-1064. DOI: 10.1080/10807039.2015.1133242 |