Garden

2,4-D is one of the world's most widely used herbicides, killing broadleaf weeds while sparing grasses. It has been used in domestic lawns and gardens since the 1940s. The IARC classified it as a possible human carcin…

2,4-D (2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid) is one of the oldest synthetic herbicides in continuous use — developed in the 1940s and used as a component of Agent Orange during the Vietnam War. It remains widely available a…

Bifenthrin is one of the most potent and persistent synthetic pyrethroids used in consumer garden products — it is the active ingredient in popular UK ant killers, surface insect sprays, and crawling insect treatments…

Chlorothalonil was one of the most widely used fungicides in UK gardens and agriculture, applied to lawn turf to prevent fusarium patch and dollar spot disease, to vegetables to prevent blight, and to ornamental plant…

Chlorpyrifos is an organophosphate insecticide that has been widely used in agriculture, gardens, and homes since the 1960s. It works by inhibiting acetylcholinesterase, an enzyme essential for nerve function. Decades…

Copper-based fungicides — including Bordeaux mixture (copper sulphate + slaked lime), copper hydroxide, and copper oxychloride — have been used in horticulture and agriculture for over 150 years and represent one of t…

Creosote — distilled from coal tar — is one of the most effective wood preservatives ever developed, and its distinctive dark brown colour and tarry smell are familiar from fence posts, garden sleepers, and telegraph …

Diuron is a persistent herbicide used in path, patio, and driveway weedkiller products — it kills weeds by blocking photosystem II in plants and remains active in soil for months, providing the "long-lasting" weed pre…

Glufosinate-ammonium is a non-selective contact herbicide used in consumer garden weedkiller products — positioned as a "glyphosate alternative" following consumer and retail pressure to reduce glyphosate use. It kill…

Glyphosate is the most widely used herbicide on earth. It is the active ingredient in Roundup and hundreds of equivalent products. IARC classified it as a probable human carcinogen in 2015. Internal Monsanto documents…

Glyphosate is the world's most widely sold herbicide and the active ingredient in Roundup and dozens of other consumer garden products sold in UK garden centres. It kills plants by inhibiting EPSPS, an enzyme in the s…

Metaldehyde blue slug pellets were for decades the standard consumer garden product for slug and snail control — sold in every garden centre and supermarket in the UK. Metaldehyde works by disrupting the mucus product…

Neonicotinoids are systemic insecticides that are taken up by plants and expressed in all tissues including pollen and nectar — meaning that insects feeding on treated plants receive a dose even when no spray has been…

Neonicotinoids are a class of systemic insecticides that act on the nicotinic acetylcholine receptors of insects, causing paralysis and death. They are the most widely used insecticides globally. They are water-solubl…

Permethrin is a synthetic pyrethroid insecticide modelled on natural pyrethrins from chrysanthemum flowers. It is one of the most widely used insecticides in gardens, homes, and agriculture. Highly effective against a…

Permethrin is a synthetic pyrethroid insecticide used extensively in UK garden insecticide sprays, pet flea products, wood preservatives, and clothing treatments for tick and mosquito repellence. It kills insects by k…

PFAS are a family of over 12,000 synthetic chemicals defined by their extremely strong carbon-fluorine bonds — the strongest in organic chemistry. This is why they do not break down: in the environment, or in the huma…

Artificial garden lawns — marketed as low-maintenance alternatives to real grass — are manufactured from polypropylene or polyethylene yarn tufted into a backing fabric and coated with various chemicals to improve UV …

Pharmaceutical compounds enter the water cycle through excretion by patients taking medication, disposal of unused medicines down the toilet or sink, and discharge from pharmaceutical manufacturing. Conventional water…

Rubber crumb infill — made from recycled end-of-life vehicle tyres — is used as the filling between the blades of artificial turf in football pitches, playgrounds, and premium garden artificial lawns to provide cushio…

Wood preservatives protect outdoor timber from rot, fungi, and insects. The two most historically significant are creosote (a coal tar distillate containing hundreds of PAH compounds including benzo[a]pyrene) and chro…