Gateway on Pesticide Hazards and Safe Pest Management

Beyond Pesticides offers resources below to evaluate the health and ecological effects of specific chemical exposure from ACTIVE INGREDIENTS in pesticide products, as well as regulatory information and supporting scientific documents. Because various pesticide products can contain more than one active ingredient, it is important to READ the LABEL to determine chemical components.

With 192 different active ingredients and counting, it is essential to establish the connection between the use of these chemicals and their respective hazards.

View the step-by-step guide on how to search for the active ingredient(s) in pesticide products below:

1. Go to U.S. EPA's Pesticide Product and Label System and enter the product name. The generic product name may vary.
   
2. After searching, click on the chemical ingredients tab or the link for the most recent label to find Active Ingredients.
                Chemical List                                            Label List 
   
   If one selects the chemical ingredients tab, skip to Step 4 . If not, proceed to step number 3
   
   
3. To find the active ingredient(s) on the label, search for the page in the document containing the date of registration. Usually, the active ingredients section occurs within the first few pages of the label document.
   
   
4. Return to the Beyond Pesticides Gateway and search for the active ingredient name in the yellow box to the right or from the list below. 
   
   

Tebuthiuron

General Information

• Product Names:

  Sharda Tebuthiuron 20 P (Sharda USA)
  Alligare Tebuthiuron 20 P (Alligare)
  Spike 20p (Corteva Agriscience)
  Spike 40p (Corteva Agriscience)
  Sprakil S-5 Brush Control Granules (SSI Maxim Of Tennessee)

  Sharda Tebuthiuron 80% Df (Sharda USA)

  Alligare Tebuthiuron 80 Wg (Alligare)

  Spike 80df (Corteva Agriscience)
  Tebuthiuron Technical (Adama Celsius Property)
  Spike Technical (Nutrichem USA Inc.)
  Sharda Tebuthiuron Technical (Sharda USA)

• Chemical Class: Urea derivative herbicide
• Uses: It is a nonselective broad spectrum herbicide used to control weeds, woody and herbaceous plants, and sugar cane.
• Alternatives: Organic Agriculture, Organic Land Management
• Beyond Pesticides rating: Toxic

Health and Environmental Effects

• Cancer: Not documented
• Endocrine Disruption: Not documented
• Reproductive Effects: Yes (242)
• Neurotoxicity: Not documented
• Kidney/Liver Damage: Yes (242)
• Sensitizer/ Irritant: Not documented
• Birth/Developmental: Not documented
• Detected in Groundwater: Not documented
• Potential Leacher: Not documented
• Toxic to Birds: Not documented
• Toxic to Fish/Aquatic Organisms: Yes (241)
• Toxic to Bees: Not documented

Additional Information

• Regulatory Status:
  • EPA R.E.D. Facts (1994)
  • EPA IRIS Assessments
  • EPA Office of Pesticide Programs
  • California Department of Pesticide Regulation - Human Health Reference Level for Tebuthiuron and its Degradates in Groundwater (April 2024)
• Supporting information:
  • National Library of Medicine, Tebuthiuron
  • Daily News Archive for Tebuthiuron
• Studies:
• Integrating morphological, biochemical, behavioural, and molecular approaches to investigate developmental toxicity triggered by tebuthiuron in zebrafish (Danio rerio). de Oliveira, A. et al. (2023) Integrating morphological, biochemical, behavioural, and molecular approaches to investigate developmental toxicity triggered by tebuthiuron in zebrafish (Danio rerio), Chemosphere. Available at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S004565352302163X.
• Exposure to the herbicide tebuthiuron affects behavior, enzymatic activity, morphology and physiology of the midgut of the stingless bee Partamona helleri. Farder-Gomes, C. et al. (2024) Exposure to the herbicide tebuthiuron affects behavior, enzymatic activity, morphology and physiology of the midgut of the stingless bee Partamona helleri, Environmental Toxicology and Pharmacology. Available at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S138266892400156X.
• Influence of temperature on growth, development and thyroid metabolism of American bullfrog tadpoles (Lithobates catesbeianus) exposed to the herbicide tebuthiuron. Grott, S. et al. (2022) Influence of temperature on growth, development and thyroid metabolism of American bullfrog tadpoles (Lithobates catesbeianus) exposed to the herbicide tebuthiuron, Environmental Toxicology and Pharmacology. Available at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S138266892200103X.
• Influence of temperature on biomarker responses and histology of the liver of American bullfrog tadpoles (Lithobates catesbeianus, Shaw, 1802) exposed to the herbicide Tebuthiuron. Grott, S. et al. (2021) Influence of temperature on biomarker responses and histology of the liver of American bullfrog tadpoles (Lithobates catesbeianus, Shaw, 1802) exposed to the herbicide Tebuthiuron, Science of The Total Environment. Available at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0048969721000371.