Aminomethylphosphonic acid (AMPA) is a aminophosphonate with a weak phosphonic acid group.
AMPA apparently can be used as biocide and pesticide. AMPA is also used in research to assess the exposure of glyphosate.
AMPA is one of the primary degradation products of the herbicide glyphosate. In addition, it is a degradation product of other aminophosphonates, which have applications as antiscalant and water treatment.
AMPA was found in the final effluent of some wastewater treatment plants at concentrations of up to 10üg/l. AMPA can be detected after membrane filtration. AMPA has the potential to be broken down further by manganese oxide in laboratory conditions, however in soil manganese oxide is usually only present in trace amounts. Microbial degradation of AMPA is the more likely degradation pathway, where it degrades into phosphoric acid and ultimately to carbon dioxide and inorganic phosphate.
AMPA has toxicity which is comparable to that of glyphosate and it is therefore considered to be of similar toxicological concern (harmful in greater than 0.5 parts per million) as glyphosate itself.