Ant chalk, also known as Chinese chalk or 'Miraculous Insecticide Chalk', is an insecticide

Insecticide

An insecticide is a pesticide used against insects. They include ovicides and larvicides used against the eggs and larvae of insects respectively. Insecticides are used in agriculture, medicine, industry and the household. The use of insecticides is believed to be one of the major factors behind...

 in the form of normal looking chalk. It contains the pesticides deltamethrin

Deltamethrin

Deltamethrin is a pyrethroid ester insecticide.-Usage:Deltamethrin products are among the most popular and widely used insecticides in the world and have become very popular with pest control operators and individuals in the United States in the past five years. This material is a member of one of...

 and cypermethrin

Cypermethrin

Cypermethrin is a synthetic pyrethroid used as an insecticide in large-scale commercial agricultural applications as well as in consumer products for domestic purposes. It behaves as a fast-acting neurotoxin in insects. It is easily degraded on soil and plants but can be effective for weeks when...

.

Controversy

While the active ingredients are legal in the United States, the chalk is no longer legal there due to a number of reasons including alleged child poisonings reported while the chalk was legal, packaging that frequently does not conform to lead

Lead

Lead is a main-group element in the carbon group with the symbol Pb and atomic number 82. Lead is a soft, malleable poor metal. It is also counted as one of the heavy metals. Metallic lead has a bluish-white color after being freshly cut, but it soon tarnishes to a dull grayish color when exposed...

 content standards, and inadequate safety labeling.

Despite its illegal status, 'Chinese Chalk' is still imported from China and sold in Chinatown

Chinatown

A Chinatown is an ethnic enclave of overseas Chinese people, although it is often generalized to include various Southeast Asian people. Chinatowns exist throughout the world, including East Asia, Southeast Asia, the Americas, Australasia, and Europe. Binondo's Chinatown located in Manila,...

s in the United States. Worldwide, the product remains very popular due to its effectiveness in rapidly controlling crawling household insect infestations without fumes, foul smells or sticky toxic residues, and its relatively low overall toxin content compared to other insecticides.