In agriculture, permethrin is mainly used on cotton, wheat, maize, and alfalfa crops, and is also used to kill parasites on chickens and other poultry. It’s extensively used in Europe as a timber treatment against wood boring beetle (woodworm). Its use is controversial since, as a broad-spectrum chemical, it kills indiscriminately; as well as the intended pests, it can harm beneficial insects including honey bees, aquatic life, and small mammals such as mice.

Recently, in South Africa, residues of permethrin were found in breast milk, together with DDT, in an area that experienced DDT treatment for malaria control, as well as the use of pyrethroids in small-scale agriculture.

Permethrin is toxic to cats and many cats die each year after being given flea treatments intended for dogs, or by contact with dogs who have recently been treated with permethrin.

Permethrin is also used in healthcare, to eradicate parasites such as head lice and mites responsible for scabies, and in industrial and domestic settings to control pests such as ants and termites. However, the British National Formulary states that permethrin has low efficacy in eradicating head lice.

Permethrin kills ticks on contact with treated clothing. According to the Connecticut Department of Public Health, it "has low mammalian toxicity, is poorly absorbed through the skin and is rapidly inactivated by the body. Skin reactions have been uncommon." Permethrin is also used on humans for lice or scabies, the common prescription is Pertmethrin with 5% concentration for scabies, and OTC (over the counter) treatment for head lice/crabs is usually permethrin with 1% concentration.

Carbendazim (methyl benzimidazol-2-ylcarbamate) is a systemic benzimidazole fungicide used to control a broad range of diseases on cereals, fruits, cotton, tobacco, turf, ornamentals and vegetables. It is also used in post-harvest food storage, as a seed pre-planting treatment and as a timber treatment fungicide.

In addition to being a fungicide in its own right, carbendazim is a metabolite of thiophanate-methyl. Thiophanate breaks down rapidly in the environment to carbendazim and the use of thiophanate-methyl can lead to residues of carbendazim in treated commodities. The APVMA is conducting concurrent reviews of carbendazim and thiophanate-methyl.

In February 2007 the APVMA began a review of carbendazim because of occupational health and safety, residue and public health concerns. This action was based on advice from the Office of Chemical Safety (OCS) that that exposure to carbendazim and compounds that can form it (namely, benomyl and thiophanate-methyl) could cause developmental abnormalities in experimental animals and hence might pose a potential public and occupational health and safety risk.

The APVMA released the Carbendazim and Thiophanate-methyl Review Scope Document (February 2007) which outlined the information needed to conduct a comprehensive scientific assessment of carbendazim and included a call for public submissions. The period for public comments and the submission of additional information closed on 30 June 2007.

Following the assessment the APVMA will release a preliminary review findings (PRF) report outlining the proposed regulatory arrangements for the future use of carbendazim. There will be a public consultation period providing all members of the community with an opportunity to comment on this report before it is finalised.

Nanjing Essence Fine-Chemical Co., Ltd is an integrated crop protection company which focuses on the manufacturing and formulating of pesticides, herbicides, fungicides and insecticides. We supply high quality carbendazim.