ABSTRACT
Mexacarbate is registered in the US for use as an insecticide and a molluscicide against lawn, turf, and flower pests. Mexacarbate may biodegrade in soil and may photolyze at the soil surface. Rapid degradation of 14C labeled mexacarbate has been observed in sandy loam and clay loam forest soil litters. A river die-away test was conducted with mexacarbate in raw water from the Little Miami River in Ohio. The river receives domestic and industrial wastes and farm runoff. Mexacarbate biodegraded in soil under unspecified conditions to yield 4-methylamino-3,5-xylyl methylcarbamate, 2,6-dimethylhydroquinone and 4-dimethylamino-3,5-xylenol. The half-life for the reaction of vapor phase mexacarbate in the atmosphere with photochemically generated hydroxyl radicals was estimated to be 7.90 hours. Human exposure to mexacarbate is expected to result primarily from its use as a pesticide for the control of lawn, turf, and flower pests.
