Biocides and plant protection products

Chemical agents against harmful organisms and for plant protection

The term ‘biocide‘ refers to any substance or mixture, which is supplied to the user with the intention of destroying, deterring, rendering harmless, preventing the action of, or otherwise exerting a controlling effect on, any harmful organism by any means other than mere physical or mechanical action.
In this context, harmful organisms are defined as organism, including pathogenic agents, which, by their increased occurrence, have a detrimental effect on humans, animals or the environment, or affect the quality of products (e.g., foodstuffs, textiles, vessels or masonry), or processes (e.g. drinking water processing, food production).

This definition excludes products which are used in plant protection (plant protection products). However, a number of active ingredients are used in both, biocidal products and plant protection products.

European regulations regarding these substance groups are the biocide regulation (Regulation (EU) No. 528/2012) and the regulation on plant protection products (Regulation (EC) No. 1107/2009).

The active ingredients of biocidal products and their metabolites may be persistent in the environment, bioaccumulative and toxic also to non-target organisms.

Substances

• Triclosan

  Chlorinated aromatic biocide
• Methyl-triclosan

  Product of methylation of triclosan
• Irgarol

  Biocide used in antifoulings
• Propiconazole

  Fungicide used as biocide, e.g. in wood preservation, and as plant protection product.
• Tebuconazole

  Fungicide used in plant protection products as well as in biocidal products.
• Glyphosate

  Widespread herbicide whose risk potential for health and the environment is currently under discussion
• Rodenticides

  Control agents against mice, rats and other rodents
• Methylisothiazolinone and Methylchloroisothiazolinone

  Preservatives, that are used alone (MI) or in combination (MCI/MI)

Specimen

• Bream

  Bioindicator in rivers and lakes

  Search data

• Suspended particulate matter

  Fine insoluble mineral or organic particles in the water phase

  Search data

• Students

  Student groups with an even number of female and male students at the age of 20 to 29.

  Search data

Sampling area

Sampling period

Extended information

Links to external information and legislation

• " href="https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32012R0528" target="_blank">Regulation (EU) No 528/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 22 May 2012 concerning the making available on the market and use of biocidal products (external)
• " href="https://www.umweltbundesamt.de/publikationen/biocides-approach-towards-a-sustainable-use" target="_blank">Biocides - Proposal for a concerted European approach towards a sustainable use (external)
• " href="https://www.norman-network.net/?q=node/202" target="_blank">Environmental monitoring of biocides in Europe - compartment-specific strategies (external)
• " href="https://www.umweltbundesamt.de/biozid-portal" target="_blank">Biozid-Portal (external)
• " href="https://www.umweltbundesamt.de/en/topics/chemicals/biocides" target="_blank">Biocides | Umweltbundesamt (external)
• " href="https://www.bfr.bund.de/en/biocidal_products_and_treated_goods-568.html" target="_blank">Biocidals products and treated goods - BfR (external)
• " href="https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32009R1107" target="_blank">Regulation (EC) No 1107/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 21 October 2009 concerning the placing of plant protection products on the market and repealing Council Directives 79/117/EEC and 91/414/EEC (external)
• " href="https://ec.europa.eu/food/plant/pesticides/eu-pesticides-db_en" target="_blank">EU Pesticides database (external)