Baby Safety / Compounds / Dicofol

Is Dicofol safe for babies and kids?

Very high risk for kids

Infants are more vulnerable to Dicofol than children or adults due to immature hepatic/renal clearance, higher intake-to-body-weight ratio, rapid organ development, and increased gastrointestinal absorption.

What is dicofol?

CAS number
115-32-2
Molecular formula
C14H9Cl5O
Molecular weight
370.49 g/mol
SMILES
OC(C1=CC=C(Cl)C=C1)(C2=CC=C(Cl)C=C2)C(Cl)(Cl)Cl
PubChem CID
8254

Risk for babies

Very high risk

Infants are more vulnerable to Dicofol than children or adults due to immature hepatic/renal clearance, higher intake-to-body-weight ratio, rapid organ development, and increased gastrointestinal absorption.

Neonates and infants up to 12 months have incomplete blood-brain barrier development, immature Phase I/II metabolic enzymes (particularly CYP3A4, UGT1A1), and higher gastrointestinal permeability. Equivalent doses produce higher internal concentrations and longer residence times.

What to do: Minimize infant exposure through source control. For breastfeeding mothers: reduce maternal exposure. For formula-fed infants: use certified low-migration bottles and verified water sources. Consult pediatrician regarding any concerns.

Risk for pregnant and nursing people

High risk

Estrogenic — crosses placenta.

Regulatory consensus

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

AgencyYearClassificationNotes
Stockholm Convention2019Listed as POP — Annex A (elimination)
EU2008Banned

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 dicofol

  • Pesticide
  • Environmental Contaminant

Safer alternatives

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

  • Abamectin
    Trade-offs: Alternative approach; specific tradeoffs depend on application context, scale, and regulatory requirements. Full hazard assessment of alternative recommended before adoption to avoid regrettable substitution.
    Relative cost: 1.2-2×
  • Spiromesifen
    Trade-offs: Removes 95-99% of dissolved contaminants including metals, PFAS, nitrates; wastes 2-4 gallons per gallon produced (improving with newer systems); removes beneficial minerals; $0.05-0.25/gallon; requires pre-treatment for longevity.
    Relative cost: 1.2-2×

Frequently asked questions

Is dicofol safe for kids?

Infants are more vulnerable to Dicofol than children or adults due to immature hepatic/renal clearance, higher intake-to-body-weight ratio, rapid organ development, and increased gastrointestinal absorption.

What should I do if my child is exposed to dicofol?

Minimize infant exposure through source control. For breastfeeding mothers: reduce maternal exposure. For formula-fed infants: use certified low-migration bottles and verified water sources. Consult pediatrician regarding any concerns.

See Dicofol in the baby app

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

Open in baby View raw API data

Sources (1)
  1. —

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 →