United States Office of Pesticides and Toxic Su
Environmental Protection Office of Pesticide Programs (TS-766CI
Agency Washington. DC 20460
540/FS-89-029
&EPA Pesticide
Fact Sheet
Name of Chemical: Metaidehyde
Reason for Issuance: Registration Standard
Date Issued: December 23, 1988
Fact Sheet Number: 191
1. DESCRIPTION OF CHEMICAL
Common Name : Metaidehyde
Generic Name: 2,4,6,8-tetramethyl-l,3,5,7-
tetraoxycyclo-octane
Trade Name : Meta, Metason, Halizan, Antimilace,
Namekil, Cekumeta
OPP Chemical Code: 053001
Chemical Abstracts Service (CAS) Number: 9002-91-9
(homopolymer); 108-62-3 (tetramer)
Year of Initial Registration: 1962
Pesticide Type: Molluscicide
Chemical Family: Hydrocarbon
U.S. Producer: Lonza, Incorporated
2. USE PATTERNS AND FORMULATIONS
Application Sites: Terrestrial (food and nonfood crop);
greenhouse (food and nonfood crop); domestic and
nondomestic outdoor; indoor.
Predominate Uses: Home orchards; gardens and orna-
mental; and commercial vegetables (artichokes,
broccoli, cauliflower, lettuce, cabbage, and
tomatoes) and fruit (citrus, stone, pome and
strawberries).
Methods of Application: Hand, ground or aerial
equipment.
Types of Formulations: Wettable powders, dusts,
emulsifiable concentrates, flowable concentrates,
granules, ready-to-use products (liquids) and
pelleted/tableted.
3. SCIENCE FINDINGS
Summary Science Statement: Metaidehyde is of moderate
to low acute toxicity and is not a dermal irritant.
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Subchronic and chronic toxicity data are not avail-
able to assess this chemical. Poisoning incident
reports show that the use of metaldehyde has been
associated with dog poisonings, resulting in death.
Data are not available to assess the ecological
effects or environmental fate of metaldehyde.
Chemical Characteristics:
Physical State: Crystalline powder
Color: White
Odor: Aldehyde odor
Melting Point: 246°C
Bulk Density: 65g/100cc
Solubility: at 20°C, 0.2 g/L in water and very
slightly soluble in alcohol
Vapor Pressure: 1mm Hg at 20°C
Flammability: 36-40°C
Toxicology Characteristics: The only acceptable
toxicological study is a partially acceptable
mutagenicity study. Acute studies are available,
however, the purity of the test material must be
established before they can fulfill guideline
requirements.
Acute Toxicology:
Oral—Rat: 383 mg/kg (females), Toxicity
Category II1; 734 mg/kg (males), Toxicity
Category III
Dermal—Rat: >5 g/kg, Toxicity Category III
Inhalation—Rat: >13.5 mg/L/4 hr, Toxicity
Category III
Primary Dermal Irritation—Rabbit: Not a
dermal irritant
Mutagenicity: In the acceptable portion of a
paritally acceptable study, metaldehyde was
not found to be mutagenic.
Environmental Characteristics: Data are not available
to assess the environmental characteristics of
metaldehyde.
1Refer to 40 CFR 156.10 for a discussion of toxicity
categories.
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Ecological Characteristics: None of the available data
meet Agency requirements but they do suggest that
metaldehyde is of low toxicity to birds and is
practically nontoxic to aquatic organisms.
Tolerance Assessment: Although tolerances had not been
generally required for food/feed uses of baits,
there is a food additive regulation of zero parts
per million (ppm) for strawberries (40 CFR
185.4025). This is not supported by adequate data.
The toxicological data are inadequate to allow an
assessment of any dietary exposure to metaldehyde.
4. SUMMARY OF REGULATORY POSITION AND RATIONALE. The
Agency, historically, did not consider the use of
baits in-field to protect fruits and vegetables to
be a food use and tolerances were not required.
However, updated guidelines, issued in October
1982, state that if residues could occur in foods
or feed, the use is considered to be a food use and
a petition for tolerance or exemption from
tolerance is required. The Agency has no basis for
concluding that residues will not occur in the food
and feed crops treated with metaldehyde.
Therefore, the Agency will require data on
metaldehyde to support food uses.
The Agency will also continue to require
precautionary labeling statements to protect dogs
and other pets.
5. SUMMARY OF MAJOR DATA GAPS. Essentially all data,
including toxicological data required to support
food uses, are required for metaldehyde.
6. EPA CONTACT
Dennis Edwards, Product Manager
Office of Pesticide Programs
Registration Division (TS-767C)
401 M Street sw.
Washington, DC 20460
Telephone: (703) 557-2386
DISCLAIMER; The information presented in this Pesticide Fact
Sheet is for informational purposes only and may not be used
to fulfill data requirements for pesticide registration and
reregistration.
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Washington, D.C. 20460
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