Captafol
Encyclopedia
Captafol is a fungicide
. It is used to control almost all fungal diseases of plants except powdery mildews. It is believed to be a human carcinogen
, and production for use as a fungicide in the United States stopped in 1987. Its continued use from existing stocks was allowed, but in 1999 the Environmental Protection Agency banned its use on all crops except onions, potatoes, and tomatoes. In 2006 even these exceptions were disallowed, so currently its use on all crops is banned in the United States. Several other countries have followed suit since 2000, and as of 2010, no countries are known to allow the use of captafol on food crops.
Captafol was disclosed in US patent 3,178,447 (1965). Its synergistic mixture with thiabendazol was described in US patent 4092422 (1978).
International trade in captafol is regulated by the Rotterdam Convention
.
Fungicide
Fungicides are chemical compounds or biological organisms used to kill or inhibit fungi or fungal spores. Fungi can cause serious damage in agriculture, resulting in critical losses of yield, quality and profit. Fungicides are used both in agriculture and to fight fungal infections in animals...
. It is used to control almost all fungal diseases of plants except powdery mildews. It is believed to be a human carcinogen
Carcinogen
A carcinogen is any substance, radionuclide, or radiation that is an agent directly involved in causing cancer. This may be due to the ability to damage the genome or to the disruption of cellular metabolic processes...
, and production for use as a fungicide in the United States stopped in 1987. Its continued use from existing stocks was allowed, but in 1999 the Environmental Protection Agency banned its use on all crops except onions, potatoes, and tomatoes. In 2006 even these exceptions were disallowed, so currently its use on all crops is banned in the United States. Several other countries have followed suit since 2000, and as of 2010, no countries are known to allow the use of captafol on food crops.
Captafol was disclosed in US patent 3,178,447 (1965). Its synergistic mixture with thiabendazol was described in US patent 4092422 (1978).
International trade in captafol is regulated by the Rotterdam Convention
Rotterdam Convention
The Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent Procedure for Certain Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in International Trade, more commonly known simply as the ', is a multilateral treaty to promote shared responsibilities in relation to importation of hazardous chemicals...
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