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Inert Ingredients Permitted in Pesticide Products
Inert Resources
- Inert (other) Ingredients in Pesticides Products
- Inert Ingredients Permitted in Pesticide Products
- About Tolerance Reassessment
- Reassessment Status List
- Federal Register and Pesticide Registration Notices on Inert (other)
Pesticide Ingredients
- Guidance for Supporting the Inert Ingredients Subject to the Revocation Notice of 8/9/2006 (250KB, 5pp., PDF)
- Tips for Inert Ingredients (DRAFT) (230KB, 4pp., PDF)
- Fragrance Notification Pilot Program(41KB, 6pp., PDF)
- Fragrance Ingredient List(2MB, 45pp., PDF)
- Fragrance Formula Sheet(19KB, .xls file)
- Joint Inerts Task Force (JITF) Formed to Support Revoked Inert Ingredients (24KB, 1pp., PDF)
Listed below are inert ingredients permitted for use in pesticide products.
If you identify what may be an error in any of these listings or have questions or comments, please contact the Inert Ingredient Assessment Branch (IIAB) at inertsbranch@epa.gov and provide specific information characterizing the problem.
- Non-Food Inert Ingredients (93pp, 431KB, PDF) -
Permitted for use in pesticide products applied to non-food use sites, such as ornamental plants, highway right-of-ways, rodent control, etc. [Search Tip: In Adobe Reader click EDIT on the menu bar, select FIND or SEARCH, then type either the name or CAS number]
- Food-Use Inert Ingredients -
The only inert ingredients approved for use in pesticide products applied to food are those that have either tolerances or tolerance exemptions in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), 40 CFR part 180 (the majority are found in sections 180.910 – 960). The most up-to-date tolerances and tolerance exemptions are found in the electronic CFR (e-CFR)
. Please note that many food-use inert ingredients have use limitations and restrictions.
- Minimal Risk FIFRA Section 25(b) Inert Ingredients (7pp, 79KB, PDF) -
Are approved for use in minimal risk pesticide products under FIFRA Section 25(b); they are called “4A” inert ingredients.
- USDA’s National Organic Program (NOP) Inert Ingredients List -
Stakeholders interested in finding inert ingredients that are eligible for use in USDA’s NOP program. Here is a brief overview of EPA’s role in USDA’s National Organic Program (2pp, 36KB, PDF).
Note: The List Category policy, created in 1987, has now served its purpose as a tool for prioritizing the evaluation of chemicals. Now that reassessment of food tolerances/tolerance exemptions under the Food Quality Protection Act (FQPA) is complete, there are no longer inerts classified as List 1, 2, or 3. All-food use inert ingredient tolerances and tolerance exemptions are considered to be safe when used according to the conditions set forth in the CFR's text and tables. As noted above, the “4A” category is still being used for the purposes of FIFRA Section 25(b), and USDA is still utilizing “List 4” for their National Organic Program. For non-food inert ingredients, the 1987 List Category policy remains pertinent (including labeling) for those identified as "List 1" (toxicological concern). For informational purposes you can still access EPA’s old inert list categories.
Definitions
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 means any substance (or group of structurally similar substances if designated by the Agency), other than an active ingredient, which is intentionally included in a pesticide product. Inert ingredients play a key role in the effectiveness of a pesticidal product. For example, inert ingredients may serve as a solvent, allowing the pesticide's active ingredient to penetrate a plant's outer surface. In some instances, inert ingredients are added to extend the pesticide product's shelf-life or to protect the pesticide from degradation due to exposure to sunlight. Pesticide products can contain more than one inert ingredient, but federal law does not require that these ingredients be identified by name or percentage on the label. Only the total percentage of inert ingredients is required to be on the pesticide product label.