Phosphane |
Last updated: 17/07/2024 |
(Also known as: phosphamine; phosphorus trihydride) |
SUMMARY |
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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Warning: Significant data are missing |
Warning: Significant data are missing |
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The major uses of phosphine are as a fumigant during the storage of agricultural products and against vertebrates. Often generated via the breakdown of other substances such as aluminium phosphide. | |
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Bean weevil; Fruit moth; Grain beetle; Meal moth; Tobacco moth; Meal worm; Leaf beetle; Flour beetle; Pink bollworm; Maize weevil | |
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Stored grain; Stored animal feed; Leaf-stored tobacco; Cotton seed; Coffee; Cacoa; Tree nuts; Oilseeds | |
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Current | |
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circa 1780, introduced |
UK regulatory status |
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Approved | ||
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31/03/2026 | ||
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No UK approval for use |
EC Regulation 1107/2009 (repealing 91/414) |
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Approved | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Spain/Germany | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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15/03/2026 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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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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PH₃ | |
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P | |
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XYFCBTPGUUZFHI-UHFFFAOYSA-N | |
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InChI=1S/H3P/h1H3 | |
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Yes |
General status |
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Insecticide, Metabolite, Fumigant | |
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Soil | |
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Fumigant pesticide | |
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985 g kg⁻¹ | |
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EU dossier - arsane <0.027 g kg⁻¹ | |
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Synthetic | |
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Nerve toxin with respiratory action, mitochondrial complex IV electron transport inhibitor | |
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7803-51-2 | |
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232-260-8 | |
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127 | |
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066500 | |
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24404 | |
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015-181-00-1 | |
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34.0 | |
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- | |
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phosphane | |
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phosphine | |
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- | |
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- | |
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Not applicable | |
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Not applicable | |
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24A | |
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Not applicable | |
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- | |
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Colourless, flammable gas | |
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Can be a metabolite of: |
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calcium phosphide | Soil | 1.00 | Major fraction | |||||
magnesium phosphide | Soil | 1.00 | Major fraction | |||||
aluminium phosphide | Soil | 1.00 | Major fraction | |||||
calcium carbide | Soil | 0.10 | Major fraction | |||||
zinc phosphide | Soil | 1.00 | Major fraction |
Formulations |
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Fumigant |
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371 | 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 |
Moderate | ||||||||
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695 | 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 ) Ethanol5 = Verified data used for regulatory purposes |
- | ||||||||
2780 | 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 ) Ether5 = Verified data used for regulatory purposes |
- | |||||||||
3970 | 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 ) Cyclohexanol5 = Verified data used for regulatory purposes |
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-134 | 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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-87.7 | 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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-15 | V3 V = ChemID Online Databases; Chemspider; PubChem. (ChemID ) (Ignition is due to presence of diphosphane)3 = Unverified data of known source |
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5.37 X 10-01 | Calculated | - | |||||||
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-0.27 | 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 |
Low | ||||||||
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1.512 | L3 L = Pesticide manuals and hard copy reference books / other sources 3 = Unverified data of known source |
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1.06 X 1006 | 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 |
Highly volatile. If applied directly to plants or soil, drift is a concern & mitigation is advisable | ||||||||
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33269 | L3 L = Pesticide manuals and hard copy reference books / other sources 3 = Unverified data of known source |
Volatile | ||||||||
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Degradation |
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0.2 | 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 |
Non-persistent | |||||||
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0.23 | 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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0.69 | A2 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 ) 2 = Unverified data of unknown source |
Non-persistent | ||||||||
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EU dossier lab studies DT₅₀ 0.22-0.24 days, sand, n=2; DT₉₀ estimated between 0.66-0.72 days | ||||||||||
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- | 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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Not relevant | ||||||||||
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Very rapid | 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 |
Very rapid | |||||||
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1 to 1.5 days at pH 4, 7 and 9, 20 °C | ||||||||||
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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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Fate indices |
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Cannot be calculated | - | - | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Low | Calculated | - | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Calculated | - | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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28.0 | 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 ) Calculated using the Atkinson method4 = Verified data |
Below the level of concern for long-range air transport | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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1.16 | 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 ) Whole fish3 = Unverified data of known source |
Low potential | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Known soil metabolites |
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Minor fraction | 0.069 | - |
Known groundwater metabolites |
None
Other known metabolites |
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hypophosphite | - | Human | - | ||||
phosphite | - | Human | - |
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Terrestrial ecotoxicology |
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< 40 | Q3 Q = Miscellaneous data from online sources Rat as zinc phosphide3 = Unverified data of known source |
High | ||||||||
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Aquatic ecotoxicology |
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0.007 | 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 ) Oncorhynchus mykiss mean value3 = Unverified data of known source |
High | ||||||||
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0.2 | L3 L = Pesticide manuals and hard copy reference books / other sources Daphnia magna3 = Unverified data of known source |
Moderate | ||||||||
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General |
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High (class III) | - | - | ||||||||
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< 40 | Q3 Q = Miscellaneous data from online sources Rat as zinc phosphide3 = Unverified data of known source |
High | ||||||||
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> 11.0 | 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 ) Rat5 = Verified data used for regulatory purposes |
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0.011 | 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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0.019 | 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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0.02 | 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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0.011 | 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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10 | 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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May be fatal if inhaled, swallowed or absorbed through skin. | ||||||||||
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Excreted mostly with expired air | 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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Inhalation may result in weakness, chest pain and tightness, dry mouth, cough, sickness May cause pulmonary oedema May cause oxidative stress |
Handling issues |
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Extremely flammable Corrosive Reacts violently with air, oxygen, halogens and other oxidants causing fire and explosion hazard IMDG Transport Hazard Class 2.3 |
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Health: H330, H314 Handling; H280, H220 |
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Not classified: Fumigant (Not classified: Fumigant) | |||
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UN2199 | |||
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phosphane | ||
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Phosphorwasserstoff | ||
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fosforowodor | ||
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Record last updated: | 17/07/2024 |
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 |