US agency refuses to examine toxicity of ‘inactive’ pesticide chemicals to crops

‘The idea that we’re not assessing the actual chemicals that farmers spray is kind of ridiculous,’ Bill Freese, director at Center for Food Safety, said. Photograph: Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images

Ingredients labeled as “inactive” in pesticide formulas are potentially poisoning the environment, crops and animals, but the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has rebuffed calls to examine their toxicity and risks.

Agency rules do not require the EPA to account for inactive ingredients when it evaluates pesticide formula safety, despite the fact that industry labels dangerous substances like per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) as inert.