Imidacloprid

MedEd Pesticide lists Imidacloprid as an insecticide in the neonicotinoid class.

MedEd Pesticide Summarizes Imidacloprid at a Glance

Type

Insecticide

Chemical class

Neonicotinoid

CAS number

138261-41-3

Formula

C9H10ClN5O2

Molar mass

255.66 g/mol

EU status

Not approved as an active substance in the EU.

US status

Registered with EPA. 496 active products contain Imidacloprid.

MedEd Pesticide Summarizes Imidacloprid’s Toxicity Records

MedEd Pesticide holds 192 toxicity records for Imidacloprid, from 8 sources. The headline values are below.

Oral LD50 in ratsAcute, swallowed

Lowest reported 410 mg/kg, median 450 mg/kg, from 5 records.

Dermal LD50Acute, skin contact

Lowest reported 5000 mg/kg, median 5000 mg/kg, from 2 records.

Lowest NOAELLong term, mammals

5.7 mg/kg-day in rat, 24 months. Source: ToxRefDB.

EPA signal wordsActive US products

Danger 11, Warning 59, Caution 414.

See all 192 Imidacloprid toxicity records in the explorer. The records come from EPA’s Toxicity Values Database, and the methodology explains their limits.

MedEd Pesticide Reports Imidacloprid’s EU Safety Reference Values

MedEd Pesticide takes these values from the EU, which sets them when it assesses an active substance. They are expressed per kilogram of body weight.

ADIAcceptable daily intake

0.06 mg/kg bw/dayThe amount a person can take in every day over a lifetime without appreciable health risk.

ARfDAcute reference dose

0.08 mg/kg bwThe amount that can be taken in over a short period, such as one meal or one day, without appreciable health risk.

AOELAcceptable operator exposure level

0.08 mg/kg bw/dayThe level of exposure for people who apply the pesticide at which no adverse effect is expected.

MedEd Pesticide Lists Imidacloprid’s EU Hazard Classification

MedEd Pesticide lists the harmonised EU hazard statements for Imidacloprid below.

• H302 Harmful if swallowed
• H400 Very toxic to aquatic life
• H410 Very toxic to aquatic life with long-lasting effects

MedEd Pesticide takes EU status, reference values and hazard classification from the EU Pesticides Database. MedEd Pesticide takes US status from EPA’s Pesticide Product Information System (dated 2026-10-13) and chemical identity from PubChem. Retrieved 2026-10-16. Values and approvals change, so check the source for the current entry. See the methodology and the glossary, or compare Imidacloprid with another pesticide.

MedEd Pesticide. (2026). Imidacloprid. https://mededpesticide.org/pesticides/imidacloprid/ (accessed Month Day, Year)