Gateway on Pesticide Hazards and Safe Pest Management
How To Find Ingredients in Pesticide Products
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:
- Go to U.S. EPA's Pesticide Product and Label System and enter the product name. The generic product name may vary.
- 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 - 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.
- 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.
Mesotrione
General Information
- Product Names:
- Chemical Class: Herbicide
- Uses: Pre- and post-emergence control of broad leaf weeds
- Alternatives: Organic agriculture
- Beyond Pesticides rating: Toxic
Health and Environmental Effects
- Cancer: Possible (130, 131)
- Endocrine Disruption: Not Likely (39)
- Reproductive Effects: Not Likely (39)
- Neurotoxicity: Not Likely (39)
- Kidney/Liver Damage: Yes (39)
- Sensitizer/ Irritant: No (39)
- Birth/Developmental: Not Likely (39)
- Detected in Groundwater: Possible (133)
- Potential Leacher: Possible (133)
- Toxic to Birds: Not Likely (39)
- Toxic to Fish/Aquatic Organisms: Yes (132)
- Toxic to Bees: Low (43)
Additional Information
- Regulatory Status:
- Supporting information:
- PAN Pesticide Database (Pesticide Action Network)
- Studies:
- Mesotrione herbicide does not cause genotoxicity, but modulates the genotoxic effects of Atrazine when assessed in mixture using a plant test system (Allium cepa) Felisbino, K., Santos-Filho, R., Piancini, L.D., Cestari, M.M. and Leme, D.M., 2018. Pesticide biochemistry and physiology.