APPENDIX II-N: Inerts and Piperonyl Butoxide:
"Inert" Misnomer
Last
month's article on "inert" ingredients illustrates how the word is
improperly used by the pesticide industry. Current law only requires labels to
list the "active" ingredient--the chemical specifically targeted to
kill a particular insect, weed, mold, or rodent. The "active"
ingredient may be as little as 1% to 15% of a product. The remaining 85% to 99%
of the formulation is made up of ingredients that are listed as
"inerts," but which often consist of chemicals that are classified as
known, or suspected carcinogens. Many chemicals listed as "inerts" in
one product are used as the "active" ingredient in other pesticide
formulations. The average consumer is unaware that the word "inert"
on product labels is a complete misnomer. Far from being inactive or non--reactive,
"inert" ingredients in pesticide products may include highly toxic
chemicals. (1)
[ILLUSTRATION
OMITTED]
Of
the 2,300 substances used as "inerts," over 1,700 are of unknown
toxicity, 209 are hazardous air and water pollutants, 21 are known or suspected
carcinogens, and 127 are listed as occupational hazards according to the 1998
report, Worst Kept Secrets: Toxic Inert Ingredients in Pesticides." (2)
The
states of
Synergy
Most
Americans believe that pesticide products have been thoroughly tested for health
risks, and that approval for sale implies product safety. This writer was a
typically naive consumer who, thanks to many environmental organizations
devoted to alerting the public about pesticide hazards, has learned a great
deal about how industry manipulates science and government for personal gain,
at the expense of public health.
After
a half-century of nearly indiscriminate use of toxic pesticides in agriculture,
forestry, roadsides, golf courses, parks, playgrounds, workplaces, schools,
hospitals, homes and yards, the synergistic effect of multiple exposures to
humans and wildlife is finally being questioned. It was assumed the combined
effects of exposure to a group of pesticides were simply additive. A study done
as far back as 1957 demonstrated this to be untrue. Researchers expected
results from exposure to the organophosphate insecticide, ethylpnitrophenyl
benzenethiophosphate (EPN) and malathion would be additive, but instead found a
10-fold synergistic effect in rats and a 50-fold synergistic effect in dogs for
acute toxicity when these toxins were administered simultaneously. Synergy
refers to the interaction of chemicals. (3)
West
Nile Virus (WNV), spread by mosquitoes, first appeared in a few sections of
EPA
subsequently required new DEET labels to carry more stringent health warnings.
Malathion was also under EPA review, even while it was being sprayed aerially
and trucks were fogging many neighborhoods and parks. Before the year was up
EPA decided to restrict the use of malathion for similar applications. Informed
consumers complained that unwarranted exposure to malathion posed a greater
health risk than did West Nile Virus, and that no agency was conducting ongoing
studies about future health problems related to the pesticide exposures. (4,5)
During subsequent summers WNV moved beyond
In
addition to the lack of disclosure about toxic "inert" ingredients,
the American consumer remains unaware of the dangers of synergistic effects of
exposure to more than one toxic chemical at a time. The chemical industry and
the US EPA assure us that current testing protocol for pesticide chemicals is
adequate for protecting human health. This is untrue, and we should never
assume there is any degree of safety in using pesticide products. (1)
After
decades of ignoring children's unique vulnerability to pesticide and chemical
exposure, EPA has recently been mandated to consider safety issues as they
pertain to children's health. But, children's vulnerability continues to be
ignored regarding the listing of all chemical ingredients on product labels.
Furthermore, it is astonishing to learn that product safety is judged only on
the basis of researching the "active" ingredient in a product.
Testing of "inert ingredients" is not required, nor are health risks
associated with "inert" ingredients considered, even though many
chemicals used as "inerts" are themselves highly toxic.
Another
area of omission by the regulatory agencies is the synergistic action of
exposure to more than one chemical at a time, be it in the same product, or
from more than one product. Certain combinations of chemicals can increase the
toxicity of one or more components, or even lengthen the duration of toxicity
beyond the normal breakdown period.
In
the 1960s and early 1970s, Samuel Epstein, MD, then with The Children's Cancer
Research Foundation in Boston, and Keiji Fujii, MD, with the National Institute
of Hygienic Sciences in Tokyo published a series of papers highlighting the
increased carcinogenicity between two chemicals used in combination, even at
subcarcinogenic levels, or when applied as far apart as 200 days. Government
did not pick up the ball on this, despite general consensus that Americans are
continually facing multiple exposures and health risks from a number of
chemical combinations from multiple pesticides, pharmaceuticals and
over-the-counter (OTC) drugs. (3)
Piperonyl
Butoxide
The
chemical industry may deny negative health risks from synergistic action, but
employs the principle of synergy when adding specific "inert"
ingredients to pesticide formulations to increase the toxicity of, and to
prolong the potency of "active" ingredients. Piperonyl Butoxide (PBO)
is a frequently used synergistic chemical. It is one of the most commonly used
ingredients in household pesticide products. PBO inhibits the activity of a
family of enzymes called P450s, which have many functions including the
breakdown of toxic chemicals and transformation of hormones. It interferes with
cholinesterase activity and can increase the neurotoxicity of other compounds
such as methylmercury. (6)
Since
1965 Piperonyl Butoxide (BPO) has been classified by the EPA as a
"probable human carcinogen" because it caused liver tumors and
cancers in laboratory tests. A study done by the manufacturer of PBO found it
to cause atrophy of testes in male rats. Behavioral changes, such as a decrease
in home recognition behavior in the offspring of exposed mothers were also
noted. A variety of hormone-related organs including thyroid glands, adrenal
glands, and the pituitary gland are affected by PBO. It interferes with human
lymphocytes (blood cells that help fight infections). (6)
Exposure
to PBO may produce symptoms of nausea, diarrhea, and breathing difficulty. It
can damage the larynx, liver, kidneys, circulatory system, immune function, and
cause genetic mutation. As a synergist, PBO can increase the carcinogenicity of
other cancer-causing chemicals, though it continues to be listed as an
"inert" ingredient in many pesticide formulations. When used in
aerosols and "bomb" treatments PBO contaminates the air. PBO is used
in agriculture and is regularly found on spinach, peas, sweet potatoes,
tomatoes, peaches, squashes, strawberries, bell peppers, grapes and pineapples.
(6)
Terbutaline
(Pre-term Labor Drug)
A
drug commonly prescribed to halt pre-term labor and stave off premature birth
might leave the brains of children susceptible to other chemicals ubiquitously
present in the environment, according to research conducted on lab animals at
The
work highlights the synergistic and unpredictable effects that multiple
chemical exposures can have on the brain, according to senior author of the
study, Theodore Slotkin, PhD, professor of pharmacology and cancer biology at
Duke. "The adverse effects of sequential exposure to the two compounds on
certain brain characteristics were more than the sum of the two agents'
independent effects," claimed Slotkin. (7)
Trusting
the Experts
Navigating
the information byways on environmental and health issues is full of pitfalls,
as any health consumer can attest to. For years, American women were told by
establishment health experts that Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT), prescribed
for menopausal symptoms, was also good protection against heart disease.
Warnings of increased cancer risk from a small number of medical experts
outside the loop were ignored. The establishment experts were wrong again. HRT
has been shown to increase a women's risk of cancer, and heart disease as well.
Consumers must choose which experts to rely on for accurate
information--government/industry scientists, or independent sources.
I
will cite two instances that proved to be real eye opening experiences for this
emerging health and environmental advocate. After much political lobbying
during the 1990s,
A
second impressionable event occurred at another meeting, which included a few
advocates and experts from the New York State Department of Environmental
Conservation (DEC), on the issue of pesticides and health risks. A few weeks
before the meeting a recent environmental journal carried an article about the
pesticide, Dicofol, containing the banned chemical DDT as an "inert"
ingredient. As usual, the experts were attempting to reassure us of the safety
of pesticide use based on current information. When asked about DDT being used
as an "inert" ingredient in Dicofol, the DEC expert said that was not
possible, but promised to look into it. A couple of weeks later I received a
call confirming that DDT had indeed been used as an "inert"
ingredient in Dicofol as late as the 1980s. How many consumers would suspect
that DDT was still being used on their food nearly two decades after it had been
banned, and that it was hidden as an "inert" ingredient, no less?
Dicofol is used to control mites on grapes, pears, apples, melons, peppers,
tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, pumpkins, citrus fruit, pecans, walnuts, mint,
Christmas trees, and hops.
"Interts"
Warrant New Branch
The
EPA Office of Pesticide Programs is planning to create a separate regulatory
branch in the coming year to deal specifically with "inert"
ingredients in pesticides. Certainly a positive move since EPA has accumulated
a ten-year backlog of "inert" approvals. Industry is pushing for EPA
to catch up as it awaits the approval for new "inert" ingredients in
new pesticide products. (2)
The
recent implementation of the Food Quality Protection Act requires EPA to
finally reassess tolerances for hundreds of "inerts" used on food, by
August 2006, regarding the toxicity to children. However, no staff and no funds
have been allocated for the new agency. Once again government attempts to
protect our children from toxic chemicals proves to be woefully inadequate. (2)
References
1.
Williams, RM, "What Is Meant By "Inert" Ingredients?"
TLfDP, #251, June 2004.
2.
"Stand Alone Branch for Inerts Coming to EPA," The News Bulletin of
Beyond Pesticides--Tech Report, NCAMP, 202-543-5450, March 2004.
3.
Kepner, J, "Synergy: The Big Unknowns of Pesticide Exposure,"
Pesticides and You, NCAMP, 202-543-5450, Vol. 24, No. 1, Winter 2003/2004.
4.
Williams, RM, "DEET Alert!," TLfDP, #204, July 2000.
5.
Williams, RM, "Malathion--Cure Worse Than Disease," TLfDP, #202, May
2000.
6.
Cox, C, "Piperonyl Butoxide," Jrnl. of Pesticide Reform, NCAP,
541-344-5044, Vol. 22, No. 2, Summer 2002.
7.
Beyond Pesticides' Daily News Headline, NCAMP, mtaylor@beyondpesticides,
RELATED
ARTICLE: Video Presentation: "Health Risks and the Environment"
by
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president
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jwill52739@aol.com
Cost:
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How
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contact numbers for inexpensive water testing, pesticide information, useful
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The
Cancer Awareness Coalition, Inc., is a 501[c](3) grassroots health and
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by
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156
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2004 The Townsend Letter Group
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