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Inert (other) Pesticide Ingredients in Pesticide Products
Pesticide products contain both "active" and "inert" ingredients. The
terms "active ingredient" and "inert ingredient" have been defined by
Federal law, the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA),
since 1947.
- An active ingredient is one that prevents, destroys, repels
or mitigates a pest, or is a plant regulator, defoliant, desiccant or
nitrogen stabilizer. By law, the active ingredient must be identified
by name on the label together with its percentage by weight.
- An inert
ingredient is simply any ingredient in the product that is not intended
to affect a target pest. For example, isopropyl alcohol may be an active
ingredient and antimicrobial pesticide in some products; however, in other
products, it functions as a solvent and may be considered an inert ingredient.
The law does not require inert ingredients to be identified by name and
percentage on the label, but the total percentage of such ingredients
must be declared.
Name Change: From Inert to Other Ingredients
In September 1997, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued Pesticide
Regulation Notice 97-6 which encourages manufacturers,
formulators, producers, and registrants of pesticide products to voluntarily
substitute the term "other ingredients" as a heading for the "inert" ingredients
in the ingredient statement on the label of the pesticide product. EPA
made this change after learning the results of a consumer survey on the
use of household pesticides. Many comments from the public and the consumer
interviews prompted EPA to discontinue the use of the term "inert." Many
consumers are mislead by the term "inert ingredient", believing it to
mean "harmless." Since neither federal law nor the regulations define
the term "inert" on the basis of toxicity, hazard or risk to humans, non-target
species, or the environment, it should not be assumed that all inert ingredients
are non-toxic.
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