Furadan (Carbofuran): Status, Toxicity and Alternatives

Furadan is a trade name for carbofuran, a carbamate insecticide and nematicide that kills soil insects, root feeders and beetles by blocking the enzyme acetylcholinesterase. It is highly toxic: the rat oral LD50 is only 5 to 13 mg/kg, and one granule can kill a small bird, according to the EXTOXNET carbofuran profile. Because of that, Furadan is no longer legal on food crops in the United States, Canada, the European Union or Australia.

This guide explains what Furadan is, where it stands with regulators, and how it compares with five other insecticides often named alongside it: dinotefuran, products sold as Protecta, diazinon, rotenone and Dipel (Bacillus thuringiensis). It gives toxicity and persistence numbers from regulators and university fact sheets, three charts, and a calculator to test whether a spray pays on your own acres.

What is Furadan?

Furadan is the brand name under which carbofuran was sold for decades. The active ingredient is carbofuran, an N-methyl carbamate. In the Insecticide Resistance Action Committee scheme, carbamates are Group 1A, the acetylcholinesterase inhibitors (IRAC mode of action classification). The same group includes other old carbamates, which matters when you plan a rotation to slow resistance.

Carbofuran was sold as liquid and granular products. It is systemic: roots take it up and move it into the plant, so insects that feed on the plant are also exposed. Growers used it in the soil at planting against corn rootworm, wireworms, nematodes and other root feeders, and on leaves against beetles and aphids. A University of Guelph Animal Health Laboratory note lists its former Canadian uses on canola, mustard, sunflower, corn, sugar beet, green pepper, potato, raspberry and strawberry crops.

How carbofuran works on insects

Acetylcholinesterase clears the signal chemical acetylcholine from nerve junctions. Carbofuran blocks the enzyme, so nerves keep firing. Insects shake, stop feeding, become paralysed and die. The same enzyme works in birds, fish and mammals, which is why carbofuran is so dangerous to them. The Guelph note on carbamate poisoning in wildlife describes the signs in animals: drooling, tears, vomiting, tremors, breathing trouble, seizures and death in severe cases.

Why the name is searched so often

People still search for “Furadan” and spelling variants such as “furidan” or “puradan”. Many want to know what the active ingredient is, whether it is still for sale, or what can replace it. The short answers: the active ingredient is carbofuran, it is not registered in the main Western markets, and the replacement depends on the pest. The sections below cover each point.

Is Furadan banned? Status by country

Yes, in the main markets this page serves. Each regulator reached the same view: the risks to people, workers, birds and water were too high for any use to continue.

United States

The US Environmental Protection Agency found in 2006 that no carbofuran use was eligible for reregistration. In May 2009 it revoked every US food tolerance, the legal residue limit in food, effective 31 December 2009. The EPA carbofuran cancellation page says carbofuran should not have been used on any food crop since that date, and that food with residues would be treated as adulterated. The maker and three grower groups challenged the decision. A federal appeals court upheld it in July 2010 for domestic tolerances, and in May 2011 the Supreme Court declined to hear the case. The granular form had already been banned in the US to protect birds, as EXTOXNET notes.

Canada

Health Canada’s Pest Management Regulatory Agency re-evaluated carbofuran and found that it posed an unacceptable risk to people and the environment. Products could not be sold after 2010 and could not be applied after 2012. Even so, the Guelph laboratory still confirms wildlife poisonings, including eagles and a fox in Manitoba, because old stock was not all disposed of.

European Union

Carbofuran is not approved in the EU. The European Food Safety Authority’s 2024 EU report on pesticide residues in food describes it as not approved for almost 20 years. The report still found it in some imported food, mainly beans with pods, strawberries, tomatoes and peppers, and asked member states to check imports.

Australia and New Zealand

The Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority says the last carbofuran products were cancelled at the holder’s request in December 2019, gazetted on 28 January 2020, so there is no registered product left (APVMA carbofuran review page). New Zealand growers should check the current register with their own regulator.

If you find an old drum of Furadan in a shed, do not use it and do not pour it out. Contact your state, provincial or local hazardous waste program for disposal. Follow the product label and local rules at every step.

How toxic is Furadan compared with other insecticides?

The LD50 is the dose that kills half of the test animals. A lower number means a more toxic chemical. The chart below shows the range of rat oral LD50 values reported for four of the insecticides in this guide.

Chart

Rat oral LD50: reported range

mg/kg body weight; lower means more toxic

Carbofuran sits at 5 to 13 mg/kg. Diazinon is 300 to 400 mg/kg for the technical grade (EXTOXNET diazinon profile). Rotenone ranges from 132 to 1,500 mg/kg in rats (EXTOXNET rotenone profile). Dinotefuran is 2,000 to 2,804 mg/kg, which places it in EPA’s lowest acute toxicity category for mammals (EPA dinotefuran registration fact sheet, 2004).

Birds are the weak point

Birds show the biggest gap. EXTOXNET lists a carbofuran LD50 of 0.238 mg/kg in fulvous ducks and 0.48 to 0.51 mg/kg in mallards. Granules look like seeds, so birds eat them, and hawks and eagles are poisoned when they eat those birds. Diazinon’s bird LD50 values start at 2.75 mg/kg. Rotenone in pheasants is 1,680 mg/kg, and dinotefuran in Japanese quail is above 2,000 mg/kg.

Persistence in soil

Carbofuran’s soil half-life is 30 to 120 days, and it breaks down faster in alkaline soil and in sunlight. Diazinon’s half-life is 2 to 4 weeks. Rotenone breaks down in 1 to 3 days in soil and water. Dinotefuran breaks down fast in water under light (half-life 1.8 days) but slowly in soil metabolism studies (about 50 to 100 days), and EPA rates it very highly mobile in soil, so it can move toward groundwater.

Chart

Lowest reported bird oral LD50

mg/kg body weight; species: fulvous duck, various, pheasant, Japanese quail (dinotefuran value is above 2,000)

Dinotefuran: what it is and where it fits

Dinotefuran is a neonicotinoid, IRAC Group 4A. It binds to nicotinic acetylcholine receptors in insect nerves. It is systemic and moves through the plant quickly, so it works well against sap feeders such as aphids, whiteflies, leafhoppers and mealybugs, and against some beetles. EPA first registered it conditionally in 2004 for uses that included leafy vegetables, turf and ornamentals.

▶ Scouting and control strategies for soybean aphids, a sap-feeding pest. · 22:28

For mammals it is far less toxic than carbofuran. For bees it is a different story. EPA’s fact sheet reports a honey bee contact LD50 of 0.047 micrograms per bee and an oral LD50 of 0.023 micrograms per bee, which EPA classes as highly toxic. That is why labels limit use before and during bloom.

Rules on neonicotinoids

Rules on neonicotinoids are tighter in Europe than in North America. The European Commission neonicotinoids page explains that outdoor uses of clothianidin, imidacloprid and thiamethoxam were banned to protect bees. Dinotefuran was not among the five neonicotinoids approved in the EU in 2013, according to the same page. In the US and Canada it remains registered for many crops, with bee protection rules on the label. The University of California rates pesticides for bee hazard in its UC IPM bee precaution ratings; check that list before you spray near hives or flowering crops.

Best for: sap-feeding pests such as aphids and whiteflies on registered vegetables, turf and ornamentals, where the label allows it and no bees are foraging.

Chart

Soil persistence: upper reported half-life

days; upper end of the range each source gives

Protecta: check the active ingredient

“Protecta” is not one chemical. The name is used for several branded products in different countries, and the formula behind it varies. Some products sold under similar names are not crop insecticides at all. Before you compare Protecta with Furadan or anything else, read the label and find three things: the active ingredient, its IRAC group number, and the crops and pests on the label.

That active ingredient tells you everything that matters: how toxic it is, how long it lasts, which pests it controls and what it can be rotated with. If the label shows a Group 4A neonicotinoid, the dinotefuran notes above apply. If it shows a pyrethroid (Group 3A), plan a rotation that leaves out other 3A products.

Best for: only the crops and pests named on the specific label you hold.

Diazinon: an organophosphate under tight limits

Diazinon is an organophosphate, IRAC Group 1B. Like carbofuran, it blocks acetylcholinesterase, but by a different chemistry. EXTOXNET describes it as highly toxic to bees and notes bird kills linked to its use. Its rat LD50 of 300 to 400 mg/kg is far higher than carbofuran’s, so it is much less acutely toxic to mammals, but it is still highly toxic to birds and bees. Remaining farm uses carry strict label limits.

Because diazinon and carbofuran both act on the same enzyme, an insect population that has grown tolerant to one group may be less sensitive to the other. Rotating between Group 1A and 1B does not give the same protection as moving to a different mode of action.

Best for: the few registered field, orchard and vegetable uses that remain on current labels in your area.

Rotenone: a plant-derived poison with limits

Rotenone comes from the roots of some tropical legumes. It blocks energy production inside cells (IRAC Group 21B). It was used for years in organic gardening because it is natural and breaks down in 1 to 3 days. Natural does not mean harmless. EXTOXNET notes it is very toxic to fish.

Research has also raised concern about the nervous system. A 2011 study in Environmental Health Perspectives of US pesticide applicators, mostly farmers in Iowa and North Carolina, linked rotenone and paraquat use to a higher risk of Parkinson’s disease. Crop uses have been withdrawn in many markets. Check your national register before you buy any product that contains it.

Best for: few modern farm uses; ask your extension office about current options for organic production.

Dipel (Bt): a biological option for caterpillars

Dipel is a brand of Bacillus thuringiensis subspecies kurstaki, a soil bacterium. When a caterpillar eats it, the bacterium’s crystal proteins bind to the gut wall and the insect stops feeding, dying within 1 to 5 days. The National Pesticide Information Center Bt fact sheet says young larvae are the most affected and that Bt proteins showed low toxicity to people and mammals in testing. Some Bt products are approved for organic production.

Bt has limits. It must be eaten, so spray coverage and timing matter. It does not touch aphids, mites or soil beetles. Different subspecies target different insects: kurstaki and aizawai for caterpillars, israelensis for mosquito and black fly larvae.

Best for: young caterpillars such as armyworms, loopers, diamondback moth and budworms in vegetables, orchards and forests.

▶ How to manage armyworms and cutworms, including early detection. · 24:35

Furadan alternatives by pest

There is no single drop-in substitute for Furadan. It was a broad soil insecticide, nematicide and leaf insecticide in one product. Today growers cover those jobs with separate tools. Use the table as a starting point and confirm each option on a current label in your area.

For a broader look at products made from microbes and natural enemies, see our guide to biological controls listed at the end of this page.

How to choose an insecticide today

The old idea of one strong chemical for every pest has given way to integrated pest management (IPM). The steps are simple:

1. Identify the pest. Damage that looks like insects may be disease, drought or nutrient stress.
2. Scout and count. Compare counts with an economic threshold from your extension service.
3. Check the label. Confirm the product is registered for your crop, pest and region.
4. Pick the narrowest tool. Choose the most selective product that will work.
5. Rotate modes of action. Do not use the same IRAC group back to back on the same pest generation.
6. Protect pollinators and water. Respect bloom, buffer and re-entry rules.
7. Record and review. Keep spray records and check results a few days later.

Satellite crop maps can help with step 2. They do not show insects, but a patch of falling plant vigour tells you where to walk first. Farmonaut Satellite + AI Farm Monitoring System provides vegetation maps of your own fields on web, Android and iOS for this kind of targeted scouting.

▶ Managing western flower thrips on fruits and vegetables. · 15:42

Does a spray pay? Work it out for your field

A spray pays only if the loss it prevents is larger than the product and application cost. Use the calculator below with your own numbers. The defaults are examples set near break-even, not benchmarks. Use today’s prices from your dealer and your own yield and price estimates.

Try the numbers for your own farm below.

How we checked the numbers

Toxicity and persistence figures come from the EXTOXNET profiles (Oregon State University, Michigan State, Cornell and UC Davis), the US EPA dinotefuran registration fact sheet (2004) and the NPIC Bt fact sheet. Regulatory dates come from the EPA, Health Canada as cited by the University of Guelph Animal Health Laboratory, EFSA and the APVMA. LD50 values are laboratory results on test animals; they show relative danger, not the risk from a labelled use. The comparison covers only the insecticides named in this guide.

This page gives general information, not a recommendation. Pesticide rules change and differ by country, state and province. Always check the label and your local rules, and get professional advice before you use any insecticide.

Related pages on our site: farm and crop blog, carbon footprint tracking, product traceability, fleet management, large farm management, crop loan and insurance, satellite and weather API documentation, monitoring app download.

FAQ

What is the active ingredient in Furadan?

Carbofuran, an N-methyl carbamate insecticide and nematicide (IRAC Group 1A). It blocks the nerve enzyme acetylcholinesterase in insects, and also in birds, fish and mammals.

Is Furadan still sold?

Not legally in the US, Canada, the EU or Australia. US food tolerances were revoked from 31 December 2009, Canadian sales ended after 2010, and the last Australian products were cancelled in December 2019 (gazetted January 2020). Old stock should go to a hazardous waste program.

Is diazinon or Furadan more toxic?

Furadan. EXTOXNET gives a rat oral LD50 of 5 to 13 mg/kg for carbofuran and 300 to 400 mg/kg for technical diazinon. Both are highly toxic to birds and bees.

What can replace Furadan?

No single product. Growers use crop rotation, resistant or traited varieties, seed treatments, registered soil insecticides or nematicides, and selective sprays chosen by pest and threshold. Ask your extension service which options are registered where you farm.

Is dinotefuran safe for bees?

No. EPA classes it as highly toxic to honey bees, with a contact LD50 of 0.047 micrograms per bee. Follow the label’s bloom and pollinator rules.

Is Dipel safe around people and pets?

NPIC reports low toxicity to people and mammals for Bt. It is still a pesticide, so follow the label for protective gear and re-entry times.