Bromoxynil

Bromoxynil is a nitrile herbicide, which is distributed as a Restricted Use Pesticide in toxicity class II (moderately toxic), and not available for homeowner use. Trade names include Brominal, Bromotril, Bronate, Buctril, Certrol B, Litarol, M&B 10064, Merit, Pardner, Sabre, and Torch. It is used for post-emergent control of annual broadleaf weeds. It is especially effective in the control of weeds in cereal, corn, sorghum, onions, flax, mint, turf, and on non-cropland. It works by inhibiting photosynthesis. Lethal doses in mammals range between 60 and 600 milligrams ingested per kilogram of body weight, and teratogenic effects have been observed in rats and rabbits above 30 milligrams per kilogram. Chronic exposure for more than one year in humans caused symptoms of weight loss, fever, vomiting, headache, and urinary problems in one documented case.^[1]

In the Great Plains region of Canada it is widely used on cereal grains. Average levels detected in drinking water were 1 nanogram per liter, but in one case as high as 384 nanograms per liter were detected. The legal threshold in Canada is 5000 nanograms per liter = 5 milligrams per liter. Levels of bromoxynil were consistently lower than of several other pesticides tested, and it was observed to undergo greater reduction in water treatment than the others.^[2].

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