Fipronil: Environmental Fate, Ecotoxicology, and Human Health Concerns

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Abstract
Fipronil is a commercial insecticide discovered and developed by Rhône-Poulenc between 1985 and 1987 and released to the market in 1993. It is a member of a relatively new and small class of pesticides, the phenyl pyrazoles or fiproles, which are principally chemicals having herbicidal effects (Rhône-Poulenc 1995). Fipronil, however, acts as an insecticide with contact and stomach action. It is highly effective against a variety of insect pests, but concerns have been voiced about its environmental and human health effects (USEPA 1996; World Bank 1998; Dinham 2000). Its use worldwide is increasing, and it has been actively marketed throughout a wide range of industrialized and developing countries (Anonymous 2000a–e).