In the U.S., a new lawsuit is advising the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to require pesticide companies to reveal dangerous pesticide additives, even if they’re not designated as the main, “active” ingredients in a product.
Manufacturers mix additives with the product’s active ingredient that are designed for specific pests. These additives make pesticides easier to spray, less likely to wash off in the rain and last longer in storage. These additional ingredients can make up as much as 80 percent of a pesticide product.
The mixture of “inert” ingredients with active pesticide ingredients can cause health problems that the active ingredients do not cause on their own. These mixtures can damage the nervous system, heart and blood vessels, and genetic material like our DNA. Pesticide companies don’t list all dangerous ingredients because they’re not required to do so. Pesticide companies claim that the inert ingredients are trade secrets and only list the overall percentage of additives in a product. http://www.delta-optimist.com/opinion/blogs/deltabc-1.983313/blog-what-is-in-your-pesticides-1.2000136