From February 23, 2001
Four Attorneys General File Lawsuit Against EPA Seeking Full Labeling of Pesticide Products
The office of New
York Attorney General (A.G.) Eliot Spitzer announced on February 16, 2001
that an action has been brought against the Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) for failing to require pesticide manufacturers to list all of the
ingredients on the label. Spitzer, along with Connecticut A.G. Richard
Blumenthal, Massachusetts A.G. Tom Reilly, and Alaska A.G. Bruce Botelho,
requested three years ago that EPA require this information be included
on pesticide labels. Currently, the so-called "inert" ingredients
(inerts) are considered classified business information and so manufacturers
do not disclose them. The inerts can make up to as much as 99% of some
pesticide formulations. "Consumers have a right to know about all
of the ingredients in the pesticides they use around their homes,"
remarked Spitzer. He pointed out that "Full disclosure will allow
consumers to make informed decisions about which products to use or not
use."
All pesticide formulations contain an active ingredient, the chemical
that is specifically designed to poison and kill the pest, and inerts,
chemicals designed to make the pesticide easy to use or more effective
such as solvents, surfactants, and/or emulsifiers. There are 2,300 inert
ingredients registered with EPA, the agency has determined that hundreds
of them are harmful to human and environmental health. For example, two
inerts, toluene and ethylbenzene, have been identified as "hazardous"
chemicals under federal laws such as the Clean Water Act and the Superfund
Law that requires the cleanup of toxic waste sites. Many inerts are known
or suspected to cause cancer, central nervous system damage, liver and
kidney damage, and birth defects.
The Lawsuit filed by the four Attorneys General charges that EPA has unreasonably
and illegally delayed action on this vital health matter and asks for
a decision on the three-year-old petition within 60 days. Spitzer notes
that "Federal regulations rightly require detailed label information
on all ingredients in food, cosmetics and other products. The same standard
should also apply to pesticides, which are toxic products that are widely
used in our homes, schools and directly on our food." "It is
clear that the process EPA has put in place is not going anywhere and
should not be a substitute for the agency ruling on a three-year-old petition
that is very important to protect public health," Spitzer added.
For more information about inerts, visit the New York Attorney General's
website at: http://www.oag.state.ny.us/press/reports/inerts/table_of_contents.html,
for a May 2000 report, The Secret Ingredients in Pesticides: Reducing
the Risk.