1.800.858.7378 npic@ace.orst.edu
We're open from 8:00AM to 12:00PM Pacific Time, Mon-Fri

• Health & Environment
  • Human Health
  • Animal Health
  • Safe Use Practices
  • Food Safety
  • Environment
    • Air
    • Water
    • Soil
    • Wildlife
    • Plants
• Pest Control
  • Identify Your Pest
  • Learn About Your Pest
  • Control Your Pest
  • Integrated Pest Management
• Pesticide Products
  • NPRO: Pesticide Product Search
  • Pesticide Ingredients
    • Active Ingredients
    • Other/Inert Ingredients
  • Low-Risk Pesticides
  • Organic Pesticide Ingredients
• Pesticide Incidents
  • Human Exposure
  • Pet Exposure
  • Environmental Incident
  • Illegal Pesticide Activity
  • Problem With Labels or Containers
• Emergency
  • Human Poisonings
  • Pet Poisoning
  • Spills and Contamination
  • Wildlife Poisoning / Environmental Incident
• 

Other/Inert Ingredients in Pesticides

Use NPIC pesticide ingredient fact sheets to find specific chemical information.

Other ingredients are not listed on product labels for EPA-registered pesticides because their identity is considered to be confidential business information. You may also see them listed as “inert” ingredients.

While many of the chemicals used as other ingredients are not known to pose health or environmental risks, some of them can be toxic. In some cases, the other ingredients can pose greater risks than the active ingredient itself.

• Other ingredients may increase shelf-life, attract the pest, or spread the product more evenly on surfaces (surfactants). Adjuvants are "other ingredients" commonly added to improve pesticide performance.
• Examples of other/inert ingredients include kerosene, propane and other petroleum products, wintergreen oil, peanuts, beeswax, and salt.
• Although the other ingredients are not required on the label, the signal word on the label indicates the toxicity of the formulated product (active and other ingredients combined).
• There are maximum residue limits (tolerances) for other ingredients that are used on food.
• You can search for a substance to see if it can be used in pesticides as an other ingredient.
• The same chemical might be an active ingredient in one product and an other ingredient in a different product.
• Only certain other ingredients may be used in Minimum Risk Pesticides and pesticides for organic production systems.

Additional Resources:

• Inert Finder - US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
• Pesticide Chemical Search Tool - EPA
• Inert Ingredients Overview and Guidance - EPA
• PR Notice 97-6: Use of Term "Inert" in the Label Ingredient Statement - EPA
• Inert Ingredients Reassessment Decision Documents - EPA
• Inert Ingredients Permitted for Use in Nonfood Use Pesticide Products - EPA
• Inert Ingredients Approved for Use in Minimum Risk Pesticide Products - EPA

If you have questions about this, or any pesticide-related topic, please call NPIC at 800-858-7378 (8:00am - 12:00pm PST), or email us at npic@ace.orst.edu.

Related Topics:

What are pests?

What are pesticides?

Disponible en español

Please read our disclaimer | Contact us | About NPIC | En español

NPIC provides objective, science-based information about pesticides and pesticide-related topics to enable people to make informed decisions. NPIC is a cooperative agreement between Oregon State University and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (cooperative agreement #X8-83947901). The information in this publication does not in any way replace or supersede the restrictions, precautions, directions, or other information on the pesticide label or any other regulatory requirements, nor does it necessarily reflect the position of the U.S. EPA.