Baby Safety / Compounds / Mancozeb

Is Mancozeb safe for babies and kids?

High risk for kids

(Babies-specific data is limited; this page draws from human pregnant context.) Prenatal exposure to Mancozeb is a concern due to potential endocrine disruption and developmental toxicity. Agricultural communities show higher gestational exposure through drinking water.

What is mancozeb?

The IUPAC name is zinc;manganese(2+);bis(N-[2-(sulfidocarbothioylamino)ethyl]carbamodithioate).

Also known as: zinc;manganese(2+);bis(N-[2-(sulfidocarbothioylamino)ethyl]carbamodithioate), Dithane, Acarie M, Agrox 16D.

IUPAC name
zinc;manganese(2+);bis(N-[2-(sulfidocarbothioylamino)ethyl]carbamodithioate)
CAS number
8018-01-7
Molecular formula
C8H12MnN4S8Zn
Molecular weight
541.1 g/mol
SMILES
C(CNC(=S)[S-])NC(=S)[S-].C(CNC(=S)[S-])NC(=S)[S-].[Mn+2].[Zn+2]
PubChem CID
3034368

Risk for babies

High risk

Prenatal exposure to Mancozeb is a concern due to potential endocrine disruption and developmental toxicity. Agricultural communities show higher gestational exposure through drinking water.

Known reproductive toxicant (GHS H360) or confirmed endocrine disruptor. Placental transfer is presumed. Fetal exposure during critical developmental windows may cause structural malformations, growth restriction, or functional deficits.

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

High risk

Prenatal exposure to Mancozeb is a concern due to potential endocrine disruption and developmental toxicity. Agricultural communities show higher gestational exposure through drinking water.

Known reproductive toxicant (GHS H360) or confirmed endocrine disruptor. Placental transfer is presumed. Fetal exposure during critical developmental windows may cause structural malformations, growth restriction, or functional deficits.

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

Regulatory consensus

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

AgencyYearClassificationNotes
IARCGroup 3
EPA CTX / CalEPAKnown human carcinogen
EPA CTX / GenetoxGenotoxicity: positive (Ames: None, 2 positive / 1 negative reports)
EPA CTX / GenetoxGenotoxicity: positive (Ames: None, 2 positive / 1 negative reports)
EPA CTX / Skin-EyeSkin Sensitization: Skin Sens. 1 (score: high)
EPA CTX / Skin-EyeSkin Sensitization: Skin sensitization - Category 1 (score: high)
EPA CTX / Skin-EyeEye Irritation: Category 2B (score: moderate)
EPA CTX / Skin-EyeSkin Irritation: Not classified (score: low)
EPA CTX / Skin-EyeSkin Sensitization: Category 1 (score: high)
EPA CTX / Skin-EyeEye Irritation: Category 6.4A (Category 2A) (score: high)
EPA CTX / Skin-EyeSkin 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 mancozeb

  • Industrial FacilitiesManufacturing plants, Chemical storage areas, Waste treatment sites
  • Occupational EnvironmentsFactories, Warehouses, Transportation vehicles

Safer alternatives

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

  • 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 mancozeb?

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

Why do regulators disagree about mancozeb?

Mancozeb has been classified by 11 agencies including IARC, EPA CTX / CalEPA, EPA CTX / Genetox, EPA CTX / Genetox, EPA CTX / Skin-Eye, 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 Mancozeb in the baby app

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

Open in baby View raw API data

Sources (2)

  1. US EPA: Mancozeb Registration Review — ETU Metabolite Assessment, Dietary Risk, Thyroid Toxicity, and Occupational Exposure (2005–2019) (2019) — regulatory
  2. EFSA: Peer Review of the Pesticide Risk Assessment of Mancozeb — ETU as Critical Metabolite, Thyroid Endocrine Disruption, and Candidate for Substitution (2016) (2016) — 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 →