What is meant by "inert" ingredients?

Townsend Letter for Doctors and Patients,  June, 2004  by Rose Marie Williams

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When asked what the term "inert" means, most people respond with the commonly accepted dictionary meaning of the word, assuming "inert" refers to inactive, neutral, non-reactive, powerless, and so on. When consumers read pesticide product labels this is exactly what they believe "inert" ingredients to be--neutral and inactive, certainly nothing dangerous or toxic.

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A wonderful booklet published by the Office of the New York State Attorney General, titled, "The Secret Hazards of Pesticides: Inert Ingredients," is quite an eye opener for the uninformed. It acknowledges, "many people will conclude the term 'inert' could not possibly have any adverse health or environmental effects. This is not the case at all. Chemicals used as inerts include some of the most dangerous substances known ... suspected carcinogens ... linked to long-term health problems like central nervous system disorders, liver and kidney damage and birth defects. They can also cause short-term health effects like eye and skin irritation, nausea, dizziness and respiratory difficulty." (1)

The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is responsible for regulating the use of pesticides and for protecting the public and environment from dangerous substances. EPA categorizes "inert" ingredients into four groups: substances known to cause long-term health damage and harm the environment, chemicals suspected of damaging health or the environment, chemicals of unknown toxicity, and those of minimal concern. EPA has published a list of chemicals used as "inerts," but does not indicate which products contain which chemicals. This is of no help to the consumer. (1)

Even the most conscientious consumer will learn very little from reading pesticide labels. Pesticide manufacturers are only required to list the "active" ingredient on product labels, the particular chemical intended to kill or inhibit some life form. All additional chemicals in the formulations are lumped together under "inert" ingredients. Pesticide is an umbrella term that includes insecticides designed to kill insects, herbicides designed to kill weeds, fungicides designed to kill molds, miticides against mites, and rodenticides to kill rodents.

The pesticide industry claims it has a right under confidentiality laws to prevent competitors from learning the ingredients in a product. However, modern laboratory technology using "reverse engineering" can easily discern the components of any product formulation. Consequently, it is the consumer who is left without adequate knowledge of product ingredients, and the health practitioner attempting to evaluate possible cause and effect of a patient's symptoms.

Dangerous "Inerts"

"Inert" as used on pesticide product labels is a serious misnomer that serves only to keep the public misinformed about potentially dangerous exposures to toxic substances. The following compounds represent a few examples of toxic chemicals used as "inert" ingredients in pesticide products.

Chloroethane is a suspected carcinogen which can cause eye irritation, abdominal cramps, nausea, vomiting, liver and kidney damage, nervous system dysfunction, and blood cell disorders.

Chloroform can cause irritation to eyes and gastrointestinal tract, nausea, dizziness, fatigue, and respiratory distress; liver and kidney damage; central nervous system depression; gonadal atrophy; fetal resorpton; coma and death by cardiac arrest. It is a mutagen and suspected carcinogen.

Cresols can cause skin irritation, burns and inflammation, eye irritation and blindness, pneumonia, pancreatitis, and central nervous system disorders.

Dibutylphthalate can cause eye and throat irritation, photophobia, conjunctivitis, nausea and dizziness.

Dimethylphthalate can cause irritation of the eyes, mouth, and throat; dizziness, abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea; central nervous system depression; reduced respiratory rate; paralysis and coma.

Hexane is a neurotoxin, which can cause muscle wasting and atrophy.

Methyl Bromide can cause eye and skin irritation; blurred vision, headache, dizziness, nausea and abdominal cramps, anorexia; bronchopneumonia, pulmonary edema; brain damage, convulsions and coma; kidney and respiratory failure. Methyl bromide is also the "active" ingredient in pesticide products currently used in the cultivation of pumpkins, strawberries, tomatoes, and ornamental plants.

Toluene is associated with skin, eye and respiratory irritation; abdominal pain, headache, nausea, dizziness, drowsiness, hallucinations; anemia; liver disorders and enlargement; central nervous system dysfunction; coma and death. (1-3)

Many formulations used as "inert" ingredients are in fact, "hazardous substances," and are subject to the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act (SARA). A number of toxic chemical products listed as the "active" ingredient in some pesticidal products are disguised as "inerts" in other products, depending on the manufacturer's designation of which pests are being targeted. Current registration allows hundreds of toxic chemicals to be listed as "inerts" on pesticide labels. (2)