Gateway on Pesticide Hazards and Safe Pest Management

Beyond Pesticides offers resources below to evaluate the health and ecological effects of specific chemical exposure from ACTIVE INGREDIENTS in pesticide products, as well as regulatory information and supporting scientific documents. Because various pesticide products can contain more than one active ingredient, it is important to READ the LABEL to determine chemical components.

With 192 different active ingredients and counting, it is essential to establish the connection between the use of these chemicals and their respective hazards.

View the step-by-step guide on how to search for the active ingredient(s) in pesticide products below:

1. Go to U.S. EPA's Pesticide Product and Label System and enter the product name. The generic product name may vary.
   
2. After searching, click on the chemical ingredients tab or the link for the most recent label to find Active Ingredients.
                Chemical List                                            Label List 
   
   If one selects the chemical ingredients tab, skip to Step 4 . If not, proceed to step number 3
   
   
3. To find the active ingredient(s) on the label, search for the page in the document containing the date of registration. Usually, the active ingredients section occurs within the first few pages of the label document.
   
   
4. Return to the Beyond Pesticides Gateway and search for the active ingredient name in the yellow box to the right or from the list below. 
   
   

Mecoprop (MCPP)

General Information

• Fact Sheet: mecoprop.pdf
• Product Names:

  Riverdale Triamine (Nufarm) formulated with Dicamba, and 2,4-D
  Riverdale Triplet (Nufarm) formulated with Dicamba, and 2,4-D
  Viper (Nufarm) formulated with Dicamba, and 2,4-D
  Miracle-Gro Weed & Feed (Scotts) formulated with 2,4-D
  Turf Builder (Scotts) formulated with 2,4-D
  Gordon’s Trimec Weed & Feed (PBI/Gordon) formulated with Dicamba, and 2,4-D
  Gordon’s Triple Play (PBI/Gordon) formulated with Dicamba, and 2,4-D
  One Time (BASF) formulated with Dicamba, and Quinclorac
  Chemsico Spot Weed Killer (Chemscio) formulated with Dicamba and 2,4-D
  Power Zone (PBI/Gordon) formulated with Dicamba, MCPA, and Carfentrazone-ethyl

• Uses: Broadleaf weed control in lawns, recreational turf, sports fields, sod farms, roadsides, industrial sites, and rights-of-ways.
• Alternatives: Least-toxic rights-of-way, organic landscape managment
• Beyond Pesticides rating: Toxic

Health and Environmental Effects

• Cancer: Yes (10)
• Endocrine Disruption: Not documented
• Reproductive Effects: Yes (4)
• Neurotoxicity: Yes (8)
• Kidney/Liver Damage: Yes (8)
• Sensitizer/ Irritant: Yes (8)
• Birth/Developmental: Yes (8)
• Detected in Groundwater: Yes (27)
• Potential Leacher: Yes (4)
• Toxic to Birds: Yes (40)
• Toxic to Fish/Aquatic Organisms: Yes (6)
• Toxic to Bees: Not documented

Residential Uses as Found in the ManageSafe™ Database

• Dandelions
• Plantains

Additional Information

• Regulatory Status:
  • EPA Reregistration Eligibility Decision (RED) signed (8/2007)
• Supporting information:
  • NCAP Mecoprop Factsheet (Northwest Coalition for Alternatives to Pesticides)
  • Extoxnet Mecoprop Factsheet (Extension Toxicology Network)
  • PAN Pesticides Database:Mecoprop (Pesticide Action Network)
  • Scorecard Mecoprop Factsheet (Environmental Defense Fund)
• Studies:
• Developmental Toxicity of a Commercial Herbicide Mixture in Mice: I. Effects on Embryo Implantation and Litter Size. Cavieres, M., et al. 2002. Environ Health Perspect 110:1081-1085
• Organic farming reduces pesticide load in a bird of prey. Fuentes, E. et al. (2024) Organic farming reduces pesticide load in a bird of prey, Science of The Total Environment. Available at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048969724029255.
• Short-term oral and dermal toxicity of MCPA and MCPP. Verschuuren, H. et al. (1975) Short-term oral and dermal toxicity of MCPA and MCPP, Toxicology. Available at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/0300483X75900360.