Enilconazole

In 1983, enilconazole was first introduced by Janssen Pharmaceutica and it has since consistently been registered as an antifungal postharvest agent. Shortly after its introduction, enilconazole was used for seed treatment in 1984 and later used in chicken hatcheries in 1990. Like any fungicide, it was used to protect crops from becoming diseased and unable to yield a profitable harvest. Today, it continues to be utilized as an agricultural aid for its contribution to maintaining crop integrity and production output. ==Use on crops==

Enilconazole is found on a wide variety of fruits and vegetables, but it is primarily used on tubers for storage. Common fungi that are attracted to tubers are Fusarium spp, Phoma spp, and Helminthosporium solani which depreciate the crop quality. == Hazards ==

Enilconazole (also known as imazalil) has low acute toxicity but has raised concerns regarding potential carcinogenicity based on older studies. In 1999, based on studies in rodents, enilconazole was identified as "likely to be carcinogenic in humans" under The United States Environmental Protection Agency's Draft Guidelines for Carcinogenic Assessment. The EPA determined there is no substantial risk of enilconazole toxicity through food and water exposure. Enilconazole has a very minute degree of mobility, so its level of drinking water contamination is quite low. The estimated environmental concentration (EEC) found the levels to be 0.072 ppb for surface water, which is much less than the 500 ppb comparison level for drinking water. ==References==