Malathion

MedEd Pesticide lists Malathion as an insecticide in the organophosphate class.

MedEd Pesticide Summarizes Malathion at a Glance

Type

Insecticide

Chemical class

Organophosphate

CAS number

121-75-5

Formula

C10H19O6PS2

Molar mass

330.4 g/mol

EU status

Approved in the EU since 01/05/2010, current approval expires 15/07/2028.

US status

Registered with EPA. 37 active products contain Malathion.

MedEd Pesticide Summarizes Malathion’s Toxicity Records

MedEd Pesticide holds 516 toxicity records for Malathion, from 7 sources. The headline values are below.

Oral LD50 in ratsAcute, swallowed

Lowest reported 290 mg/kg, median 1778 mg/kg, from 3 records.

Dermal LD50Acute, skin contact

Lowest reported 4100 mg/kg, median 4272 mg/kg, from 2 records.

Lowest NOAELLong term, mammals

0.23 mg/kg-day in human, 56 days. Source: ATSDR MRLs.

EPA signal wordsActive US products

Danger 0, Warning 12, Caution 25.

See all 516 Malathion toxicity records in the explorer. The records come from EPA’s Toxicity Values Database, and the methodology explains their limits.

MedEd Pesticide Reports Malathion’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

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

ARfDAcute reference dose

0.3 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

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

MedEd Pesticide Lists Malathion’s EU Hazard Classification

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

• H302 Harmful if swallowed
• H400 Very toxic to aquatic life
• H410 Very toxic to aquatic life with long-lasting effects
• H317 May cause an allergic skin reaction

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 Malathion with another pesticide.

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