Baby Safety / Compounds / Chlorothalonil

Is Chlorothalonil safe for babies and kids?

Elevated risk for kids

(Babies-specific data is limited; this page draws from human pregnant context.) Prenatal exposure to Chlorothalonil may affect fetal development through endocrine disruption pathways. Several fungicide classes (azoles, dicarboximides) interfere with steroid biosynthesis.

What is chlorothalonil?

The IUPAC name is 2,4,5,6-tetrachlorobenzene-1,3-dicarbonitrile.

Also known as: 2,4,5,6-tetrachlorobenzene-1,3-dicarbonitrile, Tetrachloroisophthalonitrile, Daconil, Bravo.

IUPAC name
2,4,5,6-tetrachlorobenzene-1,3-dicarbonitrile
CAS number
1897-45-6
Molecular formula
C8Cl4N2
Molecular weight
265.9 g/mol
SMILES
C(#N)C1=C(C(=C(C(=C1Cl)Cl)Cl)C#N)Cl
PubChem CID
15910

Risk for babies

Elevated risk

Prenatal exposure to Chlorothalonil may affect fetal development through endocrine disruption pathways. Several fungicide classes (azoles, dicarboximides) interfere with steroid biosynthesis.

Suspected reproductive toxicant (GHS H361) or suspected endocrine disruptor. Precautionary approach warranted. Animal studies or limited human data suggest developmental toxicity potential.

What to do: Minimize exposure during pregnancy and lactation. Consult healthcare provider regarding specific risks. Consider alternative products with lower hazard profiles.

Risk for pregnant and nursing people

Elevated risk

Prenatal exposure to Chlorothalonil may affect fetal development through endocrine disruption pathways. Several fungicide classes (azoles, dicarboximides) interfere with steroid biosynthesis.

Suspected reproductive toxicant (GHS H361) or suspected endocrine disruptor. Precautionary approach warranted. Animal studies or limited human data suggest developmental toxicity potential.

What to do: Minimize exposure during pregnancy and lactation. Consult healthcare provider regarding specific risks. Consider alternative products with lower hazard profiles.

Regulatory consensus

12 regulatory and scientific bodies have classified Chlorothalonil. The classifications differ — that's the data.

AgencyYearClassificationNotes
EPA CTX / IARC—Group 2B - Possibly carcinogenic to humans
EPA CTX / EPA OPP—Group B2 Probable Human Carcinogen
EPA CTX / CalEPA—Known human carcinogen
EPA CTX / Genetox—Genotoxicity: negative (Ames: negative, 1 positive / 1 negative reports)
EPA CTX / Genetox—Genotoxicity: negative (Ames: negative, 1 positive / 1 negative reports)
EPA CTX / Skin-Eye—Eye Irritation: Eye Dam. 1 (score: very high)
EPA CTX / Skin-Eye—Skin Sensitization: Skin Sens. 1 (score: high)
EPA CTX / Skin-Eye—Skin Sensitization: Sh (score: high)
EPA CTX / Skin-Eye—Eye Irritation: Category 2A (score: high)
EPA CTX / Skin-Eye—Skin Sensitization: Category 1 (score: high)
EPA CTX / Skin-Eye—Eye Irritation: Category 8.3A (Category 1) (score: very high)
EPA CTX / Skin-Eye—Skin Sensitization: Category 6.5B (Category 1) (score: moderate)

Regulators apply different standards of evidence — animal-data weighting, exposure-pattern assumptions, epidemiological power thresholds — which is why two scientific bodies can review the same data and reach different conclusions. The disagreement is the data.

Where kids encounter chlorothalonil

  • Industrial Facilities — Manufacturing plants, Chemical storage areas, Waste treatment sites
  • Occupational Environments — Factories, Warehouses, Transportation vehicles

Safer alternatives

Lower-risk approaches that achieve a similar outcome to Chlorothalonil:

  • Physical/mechanical pest control (IPM)
    Trade-offs: More labor-intensive. May not be sufficient for severe infestations.
    Relative cost: 1.2-2×

Frequently asked questions

What products contain chlorothalonil?

Chlorothalonil appears in: Manufacturing plants (Industrial facilities); Chemical storage areas (Industrial facilities); Factories (Occupational environments); Warehouses (Occupational environments).

Why do regulators disagree about chlorothalonil?

Chlorothalonil has been classified by 12 agencies including EPA CTX / IARC, EPA CTX / EPA OPP, EPA CTX / CalEPA, EPA CTX / Genetox, EPA CTX / Genetox, with differing conclusions. Regulators apply different standards of evidence (animal data weighting, exposure-pattern assumptions, epidemiological power thresholds), which is why two scientific bodies can review the same data and reach different conclusions. See the regulatory consensus table on this page for the full picture.

See Chlorothalonil in the baby app

Look up products containing chlorothalonil, compare to alternatives, and explore the full data record.

Open in baby View raw API data

Sources (2)
  1. US EPA: Chlorothalonil Registration Review — Group B2 Carcinogen (Renal Tubular Tumors), Dietary Risk Assessment, and Aquatic Ecological Risk (2005–2020) (2020) — regulatory
  2. EU Commission: Non-Renewal of Approval for Active Substance Chlorothalonil — Regulation (EU) 2019/677; Groundwater Metabolite R471811, Aquatic Risk, IARC Group 2A (2019) (2019) — regulatory

Reference data, not professional advice. Aggregates publicly available regulatory and scientific data; not a substitute for veterinary, medical, legal, or regulatory advice. Why we built ALETHEIA →