Definition: Metabolite

Category: Pesticides

Metabolite or degradation product of an active substance, safener or synergist, formed either in organisms or in the environment. 

A metabolite is deemed relevant if there is a reason to assume that it has intrinsic properties comparable to the parent substance in terms of its biological target activity, or that it poses a higher or comparable risk to organisms than the parent substance or that it has certain toxicological properties that are considered unacceptable. Such a metabolite is relevant for the overall approval decision or for the definition of risk mitigation measures. http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2009:309:0001:0050:EN:PDF