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Minimum Risk Pesticides

Active and Inert Pesticide Ingredients

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Overview

State Specific Minimum Risk Policies

Minimum Risk Conditions

Table 1: Active Ingredients

Table 2: Inert Ingredients

Additional Information

Questions about Minimum Risk Pesticides?

Overview

Minimum risk pesticide products, also referred to as 25(b) exempt products, are made of ingredients that pose little to no risk to human health or the environment. Pesticide products meeting the six conditions defined in 40 CFR 152.25(f) are exempt from the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) regulations. Products that claim to meet minimum risk conditions are generally not reviewed by the EPA. However, the producer must ensure that the product meets all exemption criteria to avoid FIFRA violations.

State Specific Minimum Risk Policies

Each state has its own statutes and regulations concerning pesticides, including registration, sales, and use. States are not required to permit the sale of a minimum risk product simply because it is exempt under federal pesticide law (FIFRA).

To determine the policy of an individual state, use the external link to the National Pesticide Information Center or the internal link to the US Regulatory Map.

Minimum Risk Conditions

The product's active ingredients must only be those listed in 40 CFR 152.25(f)(1) Table 1. Active Ingredients Permitted in Exempted Minimum Risk Pesticide Products.

The product's inert ingredients may only be those classified by the EPA as:

Listed in 40 CFR 152.25(f)(2) Table 2. Inert Ingredients Permitted in Minimum Risk Pesticide Products.
Commonly consumed food commodities, animal feed items, and edible fats and oils as described in 40 CFR 180.950(a), (b), and (c).
Certain chemical substances listed under 40 CFR 180.950(e).

All of the ingredients (both active and inert) must be listed on the label. The active ingredient(s) must be listed by label display name and percentage by weight. Each inert ingredient must be listed by label display name.

The product must not bear claims either to control or mitigate organisms that pose a threat to human health, or insects or rodents carrying specific diseases.

The name of the producer or the company for whom the product was produced and the company's contact information must be displayed prominently on the product label.

The label cannot include any false or misleading statements.

Note: Conditions 3–6 apply to all pesticide products.

Table 1: Active Ingredients Permitted in Exempted Minimum Risk Pesticide Products

Table 1. Active Ingredients Permitted in Exempted Minimum Risk Pesticide Products
Label Display Name	Chemical Name	Specifications	CAS No.
Castor oil	Castor oil	United States Pharmacopeia (U.S.P.) or equivalent	8001-79-4
Cedarwood oil	Cedarwood oil (China)		85085-29-6
Cedarwood oil	Cedarwood oil (Texas)		68990-83-0
Cedarwood oil	Cedarwood oil (Virginia)		8000-27-9
Chitosan	Poly-D-glucosamine	Includes chitosan salts (consisting solely of those salts that can be formed with the acids listed in this table or table 2)	9012-76-4
Cinnamon	Cinnamon		N/A
Cinnamon oil	Cinnamon oil		8015-91-6
Citric acid	2-Hydroxypropane-1,2,3-tricarboxylic acid		77-92-9
Citronella	Citronella		N/A
Citronella oil	Citronella oil		8000-29-1
Cloves	Cloves		N/A
Clove oil	Clove oil		8000-34-8
Corn gluten meal	Corn gluten meal		66071-96-3
Corn oil	Corn oil		8001-30-7
Cornmint	Cornmint		N/A
Cornmint oil	Cornmint oil		68917-18-0
Cottonseed oil	Cottonseed oil		8001-29-4
Dried blood	Dried blood		68991-49-9
Eugenol	4-Allyl-2-methoxyphenol		97-53-0
Garlic	Garlic		N/A
Garlic oil	Garlic oil		8000-78-0
Geraniol	(2E)-3,7-Dimethylocta-2,6-dien-1-ol		106-24-1
Geranium oil	Geranium oil		8000-46-2
Lauryl sulfate	Lauryl sulfate		151-41-7
Lemongrass oil	Lemongrass oil		8007-02-1
Linseed oil	Linseed oil		8001-26-1
Malic acid	2-Hydroxybutanedioic acid		6915-15-7
Peppermint	Peppermint		N/A
Peppermint oil	Peppermint oil		8006-90-4
2-Phenylethyl propionate	2-Phenylethyl propionate		122-70-3
Potassium sorbate	Potassium (2E,4E)-hexa-2,4-dienoate		24634-61-5
Putrescent whole egg solids	Putrescent whole egg solids		51609-52-0
Rosemary	Rosemary		N/A
Rosemary oil	Rosemary oil		8000-25-7
Sesame	Sesame	Includes ground sesame plant	N/A
Sesame oil	Sesame oil		8008-74-0
Sodium chloride	Sodium chloride		7647-14-5
Sodium lauryl sulfate	Sulfuric acid monododecyl ester, sodium salt		151-21-3
Soybean oil	Soybean oil		8001-22-7
Spearmint	Spearmint		N/A
Spearmint oil	Spearmint oil		8008-79-5
Thyme	Thyme		N/A
Thyme oil	Thyme oil		8007-46-3
White pepper	White pepper		N/A
Zinc	Zinc	Zinc metal strips (consisting solely of zinc metal and impurities)	7440-66-6

Table 2: Inert Ingredients Permitted in Exempted Minimum Risk Pesticide Products

Table 2. Inert Ingredients Permitted in Exempted Minimum Risk Pesticide Products
Label Display Name	Chemical Name	CAS No.
Acetyl tributyl citrate	Citric acid, 2-(acetyloxy)-, tributyl ester	77-90-7
Agar	Agar	9002-18-0
Almond hulls	Almond hulls	N/A
Almond oil	Oils, almond	8007-69-0
Almond shells	Almond shells	N/A
alpha-Cyclodextrin	alpha-Cyclodextrin	10016-20-3
Aluminatesilicate	Aluminatesilicate	1327-36-2
Aluminum magnesium silicate	Silicic acid, aluminum magnesium salt	1327-43-1
Aluminum potassium sodium silicate	Silicic acid, aluminum potassium sodium salt	12736-96-8
Aluminum silicate	Aluminum silicate	1335-30-4
Aluminum sodium silicate	Silicic acid, aluminum sodium salt	1344-00-9
Ammonium benzoate	Benzoic acid, ammonium salt	1863-63-4
Ammonium stearate	Octadecanoic acid, ammonium salt	1002-89-7
Animal glue	Animal glue	N/A
Ascorbyl palmitate	Ascorbyl palmitate	137-66-6
Attapulgite-type clay	Attapulgite-type clay	12174-11-7
Beeswax	Beeswax	8012-89-3
Bentonite	Bentonite	1302-78-9
beta-Cyclodextrin	beta-Cyclodextrin	7585-39-9
Bone meal	Bone meal	68409-75-6
Bran	Bran	N/A
Bread crumbs	Bread crumbs	N/A
Butyl lactate	Lactic acid, n-butyl ester	138-22-7
Butyl stearate	Octadecanoic acid, butyl ester	123-95-5
Calcium acetate	Calcium acetate	62-54-4
Calcium carbonate	Calcium carbonate	471-34-1
Calcium citrate	Citric acid, calcium salt	7693-13-2
Calcium silicate	Silicic acid, calcium salt	1344-95-2
Calcium stearate	Octadecanoic acid, calcium salt	1592-23-0
Calcium sulfate	Calcium sulfate	7778-18-9
Carbon	Carbon	7440-44-0
Carbon dioxide	Carbon dioxide	124-38-9
Carboxymethyl cellulose	Cellulose, carboxymethyl ether	9000-11-7
Carnauba wax	Carnauba wax	8015-86-9
Carob gum	Locust bean gum	9000-40-2
Carrageenan	Carrageenan	9000-07-1
Caseins	Caseins	9000-71-9
Castor oil	Castor oil	8001-79-4
Castor oil, hydrogenated	Castor oil, hydrogenated	8001-78-3
Cellulose	Cellulose	9004-34-6
Citric acid	Citric acid	77-92-9
Cocoa	Cocoa	8002-31-1
Corn cobs	Corn cobs	N/A
Cotton	Cotton	N/A
Dextrins	Dextrins	9004-53-9
Diatomaceous earth	Kieselguhr; Diatomite (less than 1% crystalline silica)	61790-53-2
Dolomite	Dolomite	16389-88-1
Egg shells	Egg shells	N/A
Eggs	Eggs	N/A
Ethyl lactate	Lactic acid, ethyl ester	97-64-3
Feldspar	Feldspar	68476-25-5
Ferric oxide	Iron oxide (Fe2 O3)	1309-37-1
Fish meal	Fish meal	N/A
Fish oil	Fish oil	8016-13-5
Fuller's earth	Fuller's earth	8031-18-3
Fumaric acid	Fumaric acid	110-17-8
gamma-Cyclodextrin	gamma-Cyclodextrin	17465-86-0
Gelatins	Gelatins	9000-70-8
Glycerin	1,2,3-Propanetriol	56-81-5
Glycerol monooleate	9-Octadecenoic acid (Z)-, 2,3-dihydroxypropyl ester	111-03-5
Glyceryl monostearate	Octadecanoic acid, monoester with 1,2,3-propanetriol	31566-31-1
Granite	Granite	N/A
Graphite	Graphite	7782-42-5
Guar gum	Guar gum	9000-30-0
Gum Arabic	Gum arabic	9000-01-5
Gypsum	Gypsum	13397-24-5
Humic acid	Humic acid	1415-93-6
Hydroxyethyl cellulose	Cellulose, 2-hydroxyethyl ether	9004-62-0
Hydroxypropyl cellulose	Cellulose, 2-hydroxypropyl ether	9004-64-2
Isopropyl alcohol	2-Propanol	67-63-0
Kaolin	Kaolin	1332-58-7
Lactose	Lactose	63-42-3
Lanolin	Lanolin	8006-54-0
Lauric acid	Lauric acid	143-07-7
Lecithins	Lecithins	8002-43-5
Limestone	Limestone	1317-65-3
Linseed oil	Linseed oil	8001-26-1
Magnesium carbonate	Carbonic acid, magnesium salt (1:1)	546-93-0
Magnesium oxide	Magnesium oxide	1309-48-4
Magnesium silicate	Magnesium silicate	1343-88-0
Magnesium stearate	Octadecanoic acid, magnesium salt	557-04-0
Magnesium sulfate	Magnesium sulfate	7487-88-9
Malic acid	Malic acid	6915-15-7
Malt extract	Malt extract	8002-48-0
Maltodextrin	Maltodextrin	9050-36-6
Methylcellulose	Cellulose, methyl ether	9004-67-5
Mica	Mica	12003-38-2
Milk	Milk	8049-98-7
Mineral oil	Mineral oil (U.S.P.)	8012-95-1
Nitrogen	Nitrogen	7727-37-9
Oleic acid	Oleic acid	112-80-1
Oyster shells	Oyster shells	N/A
Palm oil	Palm oil	8002-75-3
Palmitic acid	Hexadecanoic acid	57-10-3
Paper	Paper	N/A
Paraffin wax	Paraffin wax	8002-74-2
Peat moss	Peat moss	N/A
Pectin	Pectin	9000-69-5
Perlite	Perlite	130885-09-5
Polyethylene	Polyethylene	9002-88-4
Potassium benzoate	Benzoic acid, potassium salt	582-25-2
Potassium bicarbonate	Carbonic acid, monopotassium salt	298-14-6
Potassium chloride	Potassium chloride	7447-40-7
Potassium citrate	Citric acid, potassium salt	7778-49-6
Potassium sorbate	Sorbic acid, potassium salt	24634-61-5
Potassium stearate	Octadecanoic acid, potassium salt	593-29-3
Potassium sulfate	Potassium sulfate	7778-80-5
Pumice	Pumice	1332-09-8
Rubber	Rubber	9006-04-6
Sawdust	Sawdust	N/A
Silica gel	Silica gel	63231-67-4
Soap	Soap (water soluble sodium or potassium salts of fatty acids)	N/A
Sodium acetate	Acetic acid, sodium salt	127-09-3
Sodium alginate	Sodium alginate	9005-38-3
Sodium benzoate	Benzoic acid, sodium salt	532-32-1
Sodium bicarbonate	Sodium bicarbonate	144-55-8
Sodium chloride	Sodium chloride	7647-14-5
Sodium citrate	Sodium citrate	994-36-5
Sodium stearate	Octadecanoic acid, sodium salt	822-16-2
Sodium sulfate	Sodium sulfate	7757-82-6
Sorbitol	D-glucitol	50-70-4
Soy protein	Soy protein	N/A
Soybean meal	Soybean meal	68308-36-1
Stearic acid	Octadecanoic acid	57-11-4
Sulfur	Sulfur	7704-34-9
Urea	Urea	57-13-6
Vanillin	Benzaldehyde, 4-hydroxy-3-methoxy-	121-33-5
Vermiculite	Vermiculite	1318-00-9
Vinegar	Vinegar (maximum 8% acetic acid in solution)	8028-52-2
Vitamin C	L-Ascorbic acid	50-81-7
Vitamin E	Vitamin E	1406-18-4
Walnut shells	Walnut shells	N/A
Wheat flour	Wheat flour	N/A
Wheat germ oil	Wheat germ oil	8006-95-9
Whey	Whey	92129-90-3
White mineral oil	White mineral oil (petroleum)	8042-47-5
Xanthan gum	Xanthan gum	11138-66-2
Yeast	Yeast	68876-77-7
Zeolites	Zeolites (excluding erionite CAS 66733-21-9)	1318-02-1
Zinc oxide	Zinc oxide (ZnO)	1314-13-2
Zinc stearate	Octadecanoic acid, zinc salt	557-05-1

This information was collected from the EPA's Conditions for Minimum Risk Pesticides webpage unless otherwise specified.

Additional Information

Additional information on registered active ingredients can be found by searching the EPA's Pesticide Chemical Search.
Additional information on inert ingredients can be found by searching the EPA's Inert Ingredient Finder.
Information on tolerances and exemptions for pesticide chemical residues in food can be found in 40 CFR 180 and on this EPA webpage.

Questions about Minimum Risk Pesticides?