Baby Safety / Compounds / Trifluralin

Is Trifluralin safe for babies and kids?

High risk for kids

Infants face elevated risk from Trifluralin through dietary residues and environmental drift. Developing organ systems and immature detoxification capacity increase vulnerability.

What is trifluralin?

Also known as: Treflan, 2,6-Dinitro-N,N-dipropyl-4-(trifluoromethyl)aniline, Elancolan, Tristar.

CAS number
1582-09-8
Molecular formula
C13H16F3N3O4
Molecular weight
335.28 g/mol
SMILES
CCCN(CCC)C1=C(C=C(C=C1[N+](=O)[O-])C(F)(F)F)[N+](=O)[O-]
PubChem CID
5569

Risk for babies

High risk

Infants face elevated risk from Trifluralin through dietary residues and environmental drift. Developing organ systems and immature detoxification capacity increase vulnerability.

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

Context-dependent

Regulatory consensus

1 regulatory bodyhas classified Trifluralin.

AgencyYearClassificationNotes
EDC Assessment—Suspected endocrine disruptor

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 trifluralin

  • Agricultural Products — crop treatment

Safer alternatives

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

  • Organic mulching; Mechanical weeding; IPM
    Trade-offs: Labor-intensive; effective for small-scale or precision applications; no chemical residues; not scalable to large commercial operations without significant cost increase.
    Relative cost: 2-5× conventional

Frequently asked questions

Is trifluralin safe for kids?

Infants face elevated risk from Trifluralin through dietary residues and environmental drift. Developing organ systems and immature detoxification capacity increase vulnerability.

What products contain trifluralin?

Trifluralin appears in: crop treatment (Agricultural products).

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

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 Trifluralin in the baby app

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

Open in baby View raw API data

Sources (1)
  1. PubChem (2026) — database

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 →