Are inert ingredients used in pesticide formulations tested for safety?
Many of the inert ingredients used in pesticide formulations are referred to as “Generally Regarded as Safe” by regulators. Safety has been established for these ingredients, which have been in widespread use in many products, not just pesticides, for many years. However, testing is required for other inert ingredients to get on EPA’s approved inerts list, plus they are thoroughly tested as formulated products. Thus, it is the entire formulated product, not only the active ingredient, which is being tested.
