FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: August 1, 2006

CONTACTS:
Caroline Cox, Northwest Coalition for Alternatives to Pesticides, 541-654-2626
Howard Freed, Georgetown University and Howard University Schools of Medicine, 202-333-3913
Routt Reigart, Medical University of South Carolina, 843-876-8512

A coalition of health, hazardous waste, worker safety, and environmental organizations today filed a legal petition challenging the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's policy of secrecy on so-called "inert" ingredients in hundreds of commonly used farm and household pesticides. Fifteen Attorneys General submitted a companion petition to EPA.

Inert is a term, according to federal law, used for all pesticide ingredients except those specifically designed to kill or otherwise harm a pest. According to Caroline Cox, staff scientist at the Northwest Coalition for Alternatives to Pesticides, "these ingredients are neither chemically, biologically, or toxicologically inert and can be hazardous for human and environmental health."

Important health problems caused by chemicals used as inert ingredients include cancer, genetic damage, and reduced fertility. For example, naphthalene is used as an inert ingredient in some pesticides. According to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, exposure to naphthalene in laboratory studies has caused developmental problems in young animals and cancer in adult animals.

Most pesticide manufacturers claim that the identities of inert ingredients are trade secrets, so there is little information about them that is publicly available. In addition, most of the health and safety testing required for pesticides does not include the inert ingredients.

The coalition's petition, as well as the petition from the Attorneys General, asks EPA to require that pesticide labels identify inert ingredients that have been classified as hazardous under a variety of environmental laws, including the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, and the Emergency Planning and Community Right to Know Act. This would provide information about almost 400 hazardous chemicals in pesticide products.

Ending some of the secrecy about inert ingredients in pesticides will allow people to make better decisions about how they manage pests in their homes and their communities. In addition, it will help physicians treat pesticide-related illnesses. "Poisoned patients deserve prompt and appropriate care by the medical community," said Routt Reigart, director of pediatrics at the Medical University of South Carolina. "This care is presently hampered by the cumbersome inaccessibility of information about "inert" but toxic substances in pesticide formulations." Howard Freed, professor of emergency medicine at Georgetown University added, "Physicians could provide better, more efficient health care if more product ingredients were disclosed on product labels."

The lead petitioner for the coalition is the Northwest Coalition for Alternatives to Pesticides. The coalition is represented by the Western Environmental Law Center (Eugene, Oregon).

The coalition's petition is available at: http://www.pesticide.org/inertspetition2006.pdf

Background information about the petition is available at: http://www.pesticide.org/inertsbackground2006.pdf