The Co-Op BlogEPA Says Inert Ingredients in Pesticides Must Be Revealed
December 29th, 2009 by Annie
Thanks to Eugene,OR based Northwest Coalition for Alternatives to Pesticides and others, the Environmental Protection Agency has reversed a 10+-year policy and plans to require pesticide manufacturers to disclose to the public the inert ingredients in their products.
According to Environmental Health News, the decision was announced Tuesday, December 22, 2009. In an article by Editor in Chief Marla Cone, an inert ingredient is anything added to a pesticide that does not kill or control a pest. In some cases, those ingredients are toxic, but companies do not identify them on pesticide labels.
The article goes on to explain that for 11 years, EPA denied petitions seeking disclosure of the chemicals but now the new administration says it plans to draft a rule that will increase transparency and encourage companies to replace toxic substances.
Manufacturers have always argued that revealing what those inert ingredients are would be giving away their trade secrets. Inert ingredients can be more toxic than the active ingredients and make up the bulk of a pesticide.
Please read the rest of the story. This is a big deal for those of us who have worked over the years to get manufacturers to tell the whole truth about what’s in that can of pesticide.
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