Acetamiprid アセタミプリド
Neonicotinoids: Bind to the receptors in insect nerves (nicotinic acetylcholine receptors). Many are taken up through roots or leaves and spread through the whole crop (systemic).
In Japan
- Registration
- Registered as a pesticide (first registered November 28, 1995). 20 formulated products contain it.
- Main registered crops
- cucumber, eggplant, tomato, cabbage, legumes, napa cabbage and others (182 crop names in the registered uses)
- Toxicity class
- Active ingredient: Deleterious (ordinary at 2% or less)Classes of the 20 formulated products (diluted products sold): ordinary substance 12, deleterious substance 8Classes under Japan's Poisonous and Deleterious Substances Control Act.
- ADI (acceptable daily intake)
- 0.071 mg per kg of body weight per day
- ARfD (acute reference dose)
- 0.1 mg per kg of body weight
- Evaluation
- Food Safety Commission of Japan, December 16, 2014
ADI: the amount considered to have no effect on health even if eaten every day for a lifetime. ARfD: the amount considered to have no effect on health when eaten at one time (within 24 hours). Both are set by the Food Safety Commission of Japan, mainly from animal studies.
In Japan's national residue testing (fiscal 2024)
| Produce | Detected / tested | Detection rate | Over the limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| DomesticNo. 5 by detection rate | 121 / 2,746 | 4.4% | 0 |
| ImportedNo. 18 by detection rate | 116 / 3,433 | 3.4% | 1 |
Found in domestic foods: strawberry, ume (Japanese apricot), pea, persimmon, kabocha pumpkin (including squash), cucumber (including gherkin), kyona (mizuna), komatsuna (Japanese mustard spinach), plum (including prune), other citrus fruits, other vegetables, daikon-type roots (including radish) and others (max. 3.7 ppm)
Found in imported foods: strawberry, cherry (including cherries), other citrus fruits, other nightshade (Solanaceae) vegetables, other herbs, other fruits, Welsh onion (including leek), grape, spinach, avocado, okra, orange (including navel orange) and others (max. 0.31 ppm)
Tests are counted as pesticide × sample. Any detection counts as “detected” — it does not mean the limit was exceeded.
In the Consumer Affairs Agency's market basket survey (fiscal 2024; the amount actually taken in from everyday meals), intake was 0.011–0.048% of the ADI.
Evaluations abroad
- WHO acute toxicity class
- II (Moderately hazardous), LD50 c140 mg/kgBased on the toxicity of the undiluted active ingredient given once, mainly to rats by mouth (LD50 = the dose that kills half; the smaller, the stronger the acute toxicity). It is not an assessment of the safety of residues in food.
- EU
- Approved in the EU (approval expires February 2033)EU ADI: 0.005 mg/kg bw/day; ARfD: 0.005 mg/kg bw
- IARC (carcinogenicity)
- No matching entry in the IARC list (not evaluated or out of scope, including Group 3)
Good to know
- In 2013, EFSA (European Food Safety Authority) issued a scientific opinion that acetamiprid and imidacloprid may have developmental neurotoxicity (effects on the development of children's brains and nerves).
- In 2024, EFSA lowered both the ADI and the ARfD to 0.005 mg per kg of body weight. The EU then lowered its maximum residue limits (EU Regulation 2025/158).
- A re-evaluation is under deliberation at the Food Safety Commission of Japan (received in December 2022).
Related explainers
Sources
- FAMIC (Food and Agricultural Materials Inspection Center), pesticide registration information (as of Sept. 30, 2026) (Japanese)
- Food Safety Commission of Japan, risk assessment report on Acetamiprid (December 16, 2014) (Japanese)
- MHLW, results of pesticide residue testing in foods, fiscal 2024 (Japanese)
- Consumer Affairs Agency, daily intake survey of pesticide residues in foods, fiscal 2024 (Japanese)
- WHO Recommended Classification of Pesticides by Hazard 2019
- EU Pesticides Database (Acetamiprid)
Last checked 2026-10-01. Registrations and evaluations change over time. This page is a translation of our Japanese page; if they differ, the Japanese page is the reference.