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Pesticide Inert Ingredients

Inert Resources

Guidance

Contact

  • Inert Ingredient Assessment Branch
    PV Shah, Branch Chief
    shah.pv@epa.gov
    (703)308-1846

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 an ingredient which is not active. Called “inert ingredients” 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.

Guidance Documents:

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), or where no residues are found in food. 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.

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. http://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: http://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: http://www.epa.gov/opprd001/inerts/fmaingredient.pdf.

Minimal Risk FIFRA Section 25(b) Inert Ingredients (PDF) (10 pp, 52KB) - Are approved for use in minimal risk pesticide products under 40 CFR 152.25, implementing FIFRA Section 25(b); for more information on §152.25(f) products please contact Biopesticides and Pollution Prevention Division (BPPD).

USDA’s National Organic Program (NOP) Inert Ingredients List (PDF) - 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 (PDF) (2 pp, 36KB).

Trade Name Inert Ingredients – Formulators sometimes have difficulty determining whether a trade name product is permitted for use as an inert ingredient. To clarify what these inert ingredients/mixtures are approved for, manufactures of trade name inert ingredients volunteered to participate in the development of a publicly-available list of trade name inert ingredients, along with the uses for which they are approved, and the manufacturer’s name. The public listing does not include the composition of trade name inert ingredients, nor products in which they are used. In addition, the posting of the trade name inert ingredient list does not imply any endorsement by EPA of one trade name inert ingredient over another.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. Directions for adding product trade names and approved uses to the list (PDF) (2 pp, 77KB).

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.

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