Pet Safety / Compounds / Prallethrin

Is Prallethrin safe for dogs and cats?

Low risk for pets

Dogs are tolerant of prallethrin at typical vaporizer use concentrations; the main precaution is ensuring ventilation during overnight vaporizer operation. No specific veterinary safety concerns at registered product use concentrations.

What is prallethrin?

The IUPAC name is (2-methyl-4-oxo-3-prop-2-ynylcyclopent-2-en-1-yl) 2,2-dimethyl-3-(2-methylprop-1-enyl)cyclopropane-1-carboxylate.

Also known as: (2-methyl-4-oxo-3-prop-2-ynylcyclopent-2-en-1-yl) 2,2-dimethyl-3-(2-methylprop-1-enyl)cyclopropane-1-carboxylate, ETOC, d,d-T80-Prallethrin, DTXCID10196509.

IUPAC name
(2-methyl-4-oxo-3-prop-2-ynylcyclopent-2-en-1-yl) 2,2-dimethyl-3-(2-methylprop-1-enyl)cyclopropane-1-carboxylate
CAS number
23031-36-9
Molecular formula
C19H24O3
Molecular weight
300.4 g/mol
SMILES
CC1=C(C(=O)CC1OC(=O)C2C(C2(C)C)C=C(C)C)CC#C
PubChem CID
9839306

Risk for dogs

Low risk

Dogs are tolerant of prallethrin at typical vaporizer use concentrations; the main precaution is ensuring ventilation during overnight vaporizer operation. No specific veterinary safety concerns at registered product use concentrations.

Risk for cats

High risk

Prallethrin is a type I pyrethroid — cats are sensitive and T-syndrome (tremors, hypersalivation, ataxia) can result from significant inhalation or dermal exposure. The electronic vaporizer delivery system is particularly concerning because it runs continuously overnight — cats sleeping in small bedrooms with active prallethrin vaporizers receive prolonged inhalation exposure that may exceed acute exposure thresholds over time. Southeast Asia, South Asia, Japan, and Latin America are regions of particularly high prallethrin liquid vaporizer use, and cat owners in these regions should be aware of the risk. Remove cats from rooms where vaporizers are operating, or use vaporizers only in unoccupied rooms with door closed. Treatment: fresh air, bathing if coat contaminated, methocarbamol for tremors, supportive care.

Regulatory consensus

1 regulatory bodyhas classified Prallethrin.

AgencyYearClassificationNotes
EPA CTX / EPA OPP—Not Likely to Be Carcinogenic in Humans

Regulators apply different standards of evidence — animal-data weighting, exposure-pattern assumptions, epidemiological power thresholds — which is why two scientific bodies can review the same data and reach different conclusions. The disagreement is the data.

Where pets encounter prallethrin

  • Industrial Facilities — Manufacturing plants, Chemical storage areas, Waste treatment sites
  • Occupational Environments — Factories, Warehouses, Transportation vehicles

Safer alternatives

Lower-risk approaches that achieve a similar outcome to Prallethrin:

  • Physical/mechanical pest control (IPM)
    Trade-offs: More labor-intensive. May not be sufficient for severe infestations.
    Relative cost: 1.2-2×

Frequently asked questions

Is prallethrin safe for pets?

Dogs are tolerant of prallethrin at typical vaporizer use concentrations; the main precaution is ensuring ventilation during overnight vaporizer operation. No specific veterinary safety concerns at registered product use concentrations.

What products contain prallethrin?

Prallethrin appears in: Manufacturing plants (Industrial facilities); Chemical storage areas (Industrial facilities); Factories (Occupational environments); Warehouses (Occupational environments).

See Prallethrin in the pets app

Look up products containing prallethrin, compare to alternatives, and explore the full data record.

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Sources (3)
  1. US EPA Pyrethroid Reregistration Eligibility Decision — cypermethrin/deltamethrin/lambda-cyhalothrin/bifenthrin/cyfluthrin/fenvalerate/tau-fluvalinate/fenpropathrin; type I/II classification; aquatic toxicity; cat sensitivity; sodium channel mechanism; human paresthesia; buffer zones (2011) (2011) — regulatory
  2. ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center: Pyrethroid Toxicosis in Cats and Dogs — type I vs type II CS/T syndromes; extreme cat sensitivity (sodium channel/UGT deficiency); bathing decontamination; methocarbamol tremor control; cyproheptadine; lipid emulsion severe cases (2023) (2023) — veterinary
  3. WHO: Mosquito Coil Emissions and Health Implications — pyrethroid composition; inhalation exposure estimates; allethrin, transfluthrin, metofluthrin; ventilation recommendations; human health risk assessment; bystander exposure in endemic regions (2011) (2011) — regulatory

Reference data, not professional advice. Aggregates publicly available regulatory and scientific data; not a substitute for veterinary, medical, legal, or regulatory advice. Why we built ALETHEIA →