
Also Known As:
Benefin
Benfluralin is an herbicide used primarily on turf, including lawns and golf courses, mostly by lawn care operators,to control grasses and other weeds. It is also used to control weeds in ornamental plants, lettuce, alfalfa, clover, birdsfoot trefoil, nonbearing fruit and nut trees, nonbearing berries, nonbearing vineyards, along rights of way (including utility substations, highway guardrails, and sign posts), fence rows and hedgerows, and Christmas tree plantations. Children may ingest benfluralin through hand-to-mouth or object-to-mouth activity on treated turf, or through ingestion of soil or possibly even granules of benfluralin. They could absorb the chemical through skin if playing in treated grass soon after application. They may also inhale the herbicide during and immediately after application.
Usually through occupational exposure.
Groundwater can become contaminated and find its way into drinking water.
Usually through occupational exposure.
Those who work with benfluralin can bring it home on clothing and shoes. Others in the home may be exposed when it enters the home environment.
Approximately 700,000 pounds of the active ingredient benfluralin is used annually, most of it on commercial and residential turf.
EPA R.E.D. Facts: Benfluralin. EPA. July 31, 2004. http://www.epa.gov/oppsrrd1/REDs/factsheets/benfluralin_fs.pdf.
Children are most at risk from exposure at home because they are likely to encounter treated lawns and put objects sprayed with benfluralin in their mouths.
EPA R.E.D. Facts: Benfluralin. EPA. July 31, 2004. http://www.epa.gov/oppsrrd1/REDs/factsheets/benfluralin_fs.pdf
Benfluralin bioaccumulates, meaning it enters an animal’s body and is stored there.
EPA R.E.D. Facts: Benfluralin. EPA. July 31, 2004. http://www.epa.gov/oppsrrd1/REDs/factsheets/benfluralin_fs.pdf
If your water source is a well, your water is not monitored for contaminants as is required for public water supplies by the Safe Drinking Water Act. Private testing of the water is necessary.
Even if your water comes from a community water system, contaminant levels can vary from house to house. You can have your water tested by sending samples to a certified laboratory. For more information on how to test your water, see Safe Drinking Water: Testing Your Water.
You can search for water quality reports from your water provider, obtain information on well water testing and find a list of state-certified drinking water laboratories at the U.S. EPA’s Office of Water’s website or call the EPA’s Safe Drinking Water Hotline, 800-426-4791.
Otherwise, wash fruits and vegetables well and peel them.
Use a doormat to wipe feet or take shoes off at the door to prevent pesticides from being tracked indoors. Replace carpets with washable rugs and mop floors frequently to remove any residues
EPA R.E.D. Facts: Benfluralin. EPA. July 31, 2004. http://www.epa.gov/oppsrrd1/REDs/factsheets/benfluralin_fs.pdf.
Reregistration Eligibility Decision for Benfluralin. EPA. July 2004. http://www.epa.gov/oppsrrd1/reregistration/REDs/benfluralin_red.pdf
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Pesticide Programs
Ariel Rios Building
1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW
Washington DC 20460
703-305-5805
http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/
Beyond Pesticides/National Coalition Against the Misuse of Pesticides
701 E Street SE Suite 200
Washington DC 20003
202-543-5450
http://www.beyondpesticides.org/index.html
Pesticide Action Network North America (PANNA)
49 Powell Street, Suite 500
San Francisco, CA 94102
415-981-1771
http://www.panna.org
Pesticide Action Network Pesticides Database
Extension Toxicology Network Pesticide Information Profiles
http://ace.ace.orst.edu/info/extoxnet/
Pesticide Action Network's Non-Pesticide Advisor