Where It Comes From
Sprayed on cereals, fruits, nuts, vegetables, turf, and used as a seed treatment; residues may be found on treated food and near farms [1][2].
How You Are Exposed
Eating food with residues; drinking water affected by farm runoff; breathing spray drift or dust; skin contact when applying products or handling treated seeds/wood [1].
Why It Matters
At high or repeated doses in animals, it affects the liver and can cause developmental effects; EPA sets safety limits and also evaluates common triazole breakdown products. It is highly toxic to aquatic life [1][2].
Who Is at Risk
Farmworkers and pesticide applicators; people living near treated fields; pregnant people and young children; private well users in agricultural areas [1][2].
How to Lower Your Exposure
Wash and peel produce; follow label directions and keep children/pets away during and after application; use protective gear if you apply it; avoid drift; test and treat well water if near intensive agriculture [1].
References
- [1]U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Tebuconazole—Human Health Risk Assessment for Registration Review.
- [2]FAO/WHO Joint Meeting on Pesticide Residues (JMPR). Tebuconazole evaluation (residues, toxicology, and guidance values).