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Pesticide Inert Ingredients
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Inert Resources
- Trade Name Inert Ingredients Database
- InertFinder
- Inert Disclosure
- Inert Ingredients Permitted in Pesticide Products
- About Tolerance Reassessment
- 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)
- Inert Ingredient Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ), Updated March 2013 (85KB, 12pp., PDF)
- Fragrance Notification Pilot Program(9pp, 111.89k PDF)
- EPA Fragrance Ingredient List(205KB, 38pp., PDF)
- Fragrance Formula Sheet(19KB, .xls file)
- Joint Inerts Task
Force (JITF) Formed to Support Revoked Inert Ingredients (24KB, 1pp., PDF)
- Guidance Documents :
- General
Guidance for Petitioning the Agency for the Establishment of a New/Amended
Food Use Inert Ingredient Tolerance or Tolerance Exemption (46KB, 4pp., PDF)
- General
Guidance to Petitioners for Low Risk Polymer Submissions (PDF) (9 pp, 47K) PDF)
- General
Guidance for Requesting a New Nonfood Use Inert Ingredient (39KB, 3pp., PDF)
- Open
Literature Database Search - Updated July 26, 2010 (63KB, 4pp., PDF)
- Inert Ingredient
Frequently Asked Questions (68KB, 8pp., PDF)
- General
Guidance for Petitioning the Agency for the Establishment of a New/Amended
Food Use Inert Ingredient Tolerance or Tolerance Exemption (46KB, 4pp., PDF)
- Inert Ingredient Listings in InertFinder
InertFinder allows users to search for inert ingredients by chemical name and CAS Reg. No. to find inert ingredients permitted for use in the following three categories:
- Food and Nonfood Use - 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),
and InertFinder includes links to the appropriate e-CFR sections. Please note that many food use inert ingredients have use limitations and restrictions. All food use inert ingredients are also permitted for nonfood use. Inert Finder categorizes these inert ingredients as “Food and Nonfood Use” to keep them distinct from “Nonfood Use Only” inert ingredients, and to avoid listing them twice.
- Food and Nonfood Use - 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),
- Nonfood Use Only - Permitted solely for use in pesticide products applied to nonfood use sites, such as ornamental plants, highway right-of-ways, rodent control, etc. Food use is not permitted. EPA previously maintained a PDF file listing nonfood use inert ingredients, including those that also have food uses. That list has been folded into InertFinder as appropriate, and is no longer being updated. https://www.epa.gov/opprd001/inerts/inert_nonfooduse.pdf
- Fragrance Ingredient List (FIL) - Ingredients on the FIL are nonfood use only, but are subject to additional limitations and requirements, as described in EPA’s guidance on the Pesticides Fragrance Notification Pilot Program: https://www.epa.gov/opprd001/inerts/fragrancenote.pdf. InertFinder includes the latest FIL, but EPA will continue updating the PDF document version of the FIL for an interim period: https://www.epa.gov/opprd001/inerts/fmaingredient.pdf.
- Other Inert Ingredient Listings
- Minimal Risk
FIFRA Section 25(b) Inert Ingredients
(8pp,144KB, PDF) - Are approved for
use in minimal risk pesticide products under FIFRA Section 25(b); for more
information on 25(b) products please contact Biopesticides
and Pollution Prevention Division (BPPD).
- USDA’s
National Organic Program (NOP) Inert Ingredients List
- List of Trade Name Inert Ingredients (PDF) (2 pp, 83k) (under development) – Formulators sometimes have difficulty determining whether a trade name product is permitted for use as an inert ingredient. EPA is offering companies an opportunity to add their trade name product to a list for posting on EPA’s web page, along with the uses for which it is approved, and possibly the manufacturer’s name. The public listing will not include any information related to the composition of trade name inert ingredients, nor products they are used in.
Questions or comments related to the inert ingredient guidance documents and the inert ingredients listings can be directed to the Inert Ingredient Assessment Branch (IIAB) at inertsbranch@epa.gov.
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. 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. These lists are no longer updated by the Agency.
What is an inert ingredient?
Pesticide products contain both "active" and "inert" ingredients. The terms "active ingredient" and "inert ingredient" are defined by the federal law that governs pesticides (Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act [FIFRA]). 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 pesticide product's label together with its percentage by weight.
All other ingredients in a pesticide product are called "inert ingredients." An inert ingredient means any substance (or group of similar substances) other than an active ingredient that is intentionally included in a pesticide product. Called “inerts” by the law, the name does not mean non-toxic.
Pesticide products often contain more than one inert ingredient. Inert ingredients play key roles in the effectiveness of pesticides. Examples include inerts that prevent caking or foaming, extend product shelf-life, or solvents that allow herbicides to penetrate plants.