Chlorobenzilate is a pesticide

Pesticide

Pesticides are substances or mixture of substances intended for preventing, destroying, repelling or mitigating any pest.A pesticide may be a chemical unicycle, biological agent , antimicrobial, disinfectant or device used against any pest...

 that is not currently used in the USA or Europe. It was originally developed by Ciba-Geigy and introduced in 1952. It was used as an acaricide against mite

Mite

Mites, along with ticks, are small arthropods belonging to the subclass Acari and the class Arachnida. The scientific discipline devoted to the study of ticks and mites is called acarology.-Diversity and systematics:...

s on citrus trees, including deciduous fruit trees. It has been detected as a residue on tomatoes found in Japanese markets in 2005. It is a non-systemic pesticide that works through contact and as a neurotoxin

Neurotoxin

A neurotoxin is a toxin that acts specifically on nerve cells , usually by interacting with membrane proteins such as ion channels. Some sources are more general, and define the effect of neurotoxins as occurring at nerve tissue...

: it disrupts the functioning of the nervous system.

In the pure state, chlorobenzilate is a colorless to pale yellow solid, but the commercial product is a brownish liquid. It is only slightly soluble in water, but miscible with acetone

Acetone

Acetone is the organic compound with the formula 2CO, a colorless, mobile, flammable liquid, the simplest example of the ketones.Acetone is miscible with water and serves as an important solvent in its own right, typically as the solvent of choice for cleaning purposes in the laboratory...

, toluene

Toluene

Toluene, formerly known as toluol, is a clear, water-insoluble liquid with the typical smell of paint thinners. It is a mono-substituted benzene derivative, i.e., one in which a single hydrogen atom from the benzene molecule has been replaced by a univalent group, in this case CH3.It is an aromatic...

 and methanol

Methanol

Methanol, also known as methyl alcohol, wood alcohol, wood naphtha or wood spirits, is a chemical with the formula CH3OH . It is the simplest alcohol, and is a light, volatile, colorless, flammable liquid with a distinctive odor very similar to, but slightly sweeter than, ethanol...

.

Toxicity

There is no data on the carcinogenic effects of chlorobenzilate in humans. However, when mice were administered the substance orally, carcinogenic effects were observed. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has therefore classified chlorobenzilate as a probable human carcinogen (Group B2). The International Agency for Research on Cancer

International Agency for Research on Cancer

The International Agency for Research on Cancer is an intergovernmental agency forming part of the World Health Organisation of the United Nations....

 has concluded that there is insufficient information available to evaluate the carcinogenicity of chlorobenzilate in humans.

Chlorobenzilate is a persistent organic pollutant

Persistent organic pollutant

thumb|right|275px|State parties to the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic PollutantsPersistent organic pollutants are organic compounds that are resistant to environmental degradation through chemical, biological, and photolytic processes...

 and is very toxic to aquatic invertebrates.

Regulation

After carcinogenicity was established in mice, the use of chlorobenzilate was banned in the United States in 1979, except for citrus cultivation. After 1999, it was banned completely. In the European Union, its use is also currently banned.

International trade in chlorobenzilate is regulated by the Rotterdam Convention

Rotterdam Convention

The Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent Procedure for Certain Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in International Trade, more commonly known simply as the ', is a multilateral treaty to promote shared responsibilities in relation to importation of hazardous chemicals...

.