Skip to main content
. 2018 Oct 24;15(10):e1002671. doi: 10.1371/journal.pmed.1002671

Table 1. OP insecticides, hazard levels, and number of countries banning them.

Compound1 Hazard level
 Number of countries (outside US) that have banned it2 Banned OPs in US designated by X. All other OPs on list are currently registered for use in the US3
US EPA4 FAO-WHO5 PAN2
1 Acephate M M H 31
2 Azinphos-methyl H H H 39 X
3 Cadusafos ** H H 31
4 Chlorethoxyphos ** E H 29
5 Chlorfenvinphos H H H 35 X
6 Chlorpyrifos M M H 2
7 Chlorpyrifos-methyl ** S H 1
8 Chlorthiophos6,7 H ** ** ** X
9 Coumaphos H H H 30
10 Dichlorfos (dichlorvos) M H H 32
11 Dialifor/dialifos6,7 H ** ** ** X
12 Diazinon M M H 30
13 Dicrotophos H H H 34
14 Dimethoate ** M H 4
15 Dioxathion6,7 H ** ** ** X
16 Disulfoton H E H 38 X
17 Ethion M M — 30 X
18 Ethoprop
(ethoprophos)		 M E H 8
19 Ethyl parathion7 H ** ** ** X
20 Fenamiphos H H H 6 X
21 Fenitrothion M M H 28
22 Fenthion M M H 30 X
23 Fonofos (fenophos)6 H ** — 33 X
24 Isazophos6,7 ** ** ** ** X
25 Isofenphos6 H ** — 29 X
26 Malathion M S H 2
27 Methamidophos H H H 49 X
28 Methidathion H H H 34 X
29 Methyl parathion H E H 59 X
30 Mevinphos H E H 37 X
31 Monocrotophos H H H 60 X
32 Naled M M H 28
33 Oxydemeton-methyl M H H 30 X
34 Phorate H E H 37
35 Phosalone M M — 29 X
36 Phosmet7 M M ** **
37 Phosphamidon H E H 49 X
38 Phostebupirim7 ** ** ** **
39 Pirimiphos-methyl7 M M ** **
40 Profenofos M M H 29 X
41 Propetamphos M H H 28 X
42 Sulfotepp H E H 32 X
43 Sulprofos6,7 M ** ** ** X
44 Temephos M S H 28 X
45 Terbufos H E H 34
46 Tetrachlorvinphos M ** H 28
47 Trichlorfon M M H 32

Level of hazard: E, extreme; H, high; M, moderate; S, slight

**, not classified;—, not H (PAN6 ranking); X, banned in the US.

1 This list of OP insecticides is taken from the US EPA Office of Pesticide Programs “Organophosphorus Cumulative Risk Assessment, 2006 Update” [36] (Table ES-1, p. 16 “OP Pesticides Considered in the 2006 Update of the Cumulative Risk Assessment”), from which we have excluded those pesticides that are not insecticides.

2 Hazard Ranking and number of countries that banned: from PAN International Consolidated List of Banned Pesticides [37] (http://pan-international.org/pan-international-consolidated-list-of-banned-pesticides/). Methods and sources for collection of these data are described in the Explanatory Notes: (http://pan-international.org/wp-content/uploads/Consolidated-List-of-Bans-Explanatory-2017April.pdf). This list does not include restrictions, only bans or decisions to not approve.

3 A "banned" pesticide in the US is defined as a pesticide for which all registered uses have been prohibited by final EPA action and includes pesticides that have been withdrawn through voluntary agreements between industry and the US EPA. Status of OPs that are either banned or registered for use in the US provided in personal communication from Yu-Ting Guilaran (Director, Pesticide Re-evaluation Division, Office of Pesticide Programs, US EPA) to JBS, July 12, 13, and 23, 2018.

4 Hazard ranking [3].

5 Hazard ranking [4]: The concept of and criteria for “Highly Hazardous Pesticides” was initially described in the JMPM second report in 2008,”Report of the 2nd FAO/WHO Joint Meeting on Pesticide Management” (last accessed July 2018) (http://www.fao.org/fileadmin/templates/agphome/documents/Pests_Pesticides/Code/Report.pdf). As scientific understanding of mechanisms for pesticide toxicity has advanced, these have been included, as described in the 2016 publication of “International Code of Conduct on Pesticide Management Guidelines on Highly Hazardous Pesticides” (http://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/205561/9789241510417_eng.pdf;jsessionid=D3B3CCA5B28692A5F3D437B2CF7F0AA0?sequence=1). The FAO-WHO JMPM defined banned pesticides thus: “Banned pesticide means a pesticide all uses of which have been prohibited by final regulatory action, in order to protect human health or the environment. It includes a pesticide that has been refused approval for first-time use, or has been withdrawn by industry either from the domestic market or from further consideration in the domestic approval process, and where there is clear evidence that such action has been taken in order to protect human health or the environment.”

6 Considered to be obsolete or no longer used as a pesticide, according to the WHO Recommended Classification of Pesticide Hazards, 2010.

7 Not included in the PAN database.

Abbreviations: EPA, Environmental Protection Agency; FAO-WHO, WHO Food and Agriculture Organization; JMPM, Joint FAO/WHO Meeting on Pesticide Management; OP, organophosphate; PAN, Pesticide Action Network.