Metabolism and toxicology of pyrethroids with dihalovinyl substituents.

Replacement of the photolabile and biodegradable isobutenyl substituent of pyrethroids with a dihalovinyl group often leads to improved insecticidal potency and enhanced photostability. This type of structural modification does not greatly alter the ease of detoxification in mammals since other sites in the molecule undergo metabolic attack. The available toxicological information on dihalovinyl pyrethroids indicates that they are suitable replacements for other insecticides with less favorable persistence and toxicological characteristics.