EPA must stop dragging feet on inerts

Although the US EPA has announced it will review its policy on the current non-disclosure of inert compounds in pesticides, some pesticide campaigners are tired of waiting.


“The EPA needs to take action to provide the public with information about the identity of all pesticide ingredients. The Agency has had our petition about this issue for 1½ years,and they’ve made no decision,” Caroline Cox of the Northwest Coalition for Alternatives to Pesticides told edie. “The EPA must not allow this process to drag out. This is a basic consumer right-to-know issue.”

The EPA has requested nominations for appointment to the Inert Disclosure Stakeholder Workgroup, a new group that will examine options for disseminating more information to the public on inert ingredients in products. The deadline for nominations is 21 July 1999.

An inert ingredient is generally defined, for a given pesticide product, as any ingredient not pesticidally active. Such ingredients make up the majority of ingredients in pesticides.

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