How to Search for Information about Pesticide Ingredients and Labels

You can use EPA databases to find information on active and inert ingredients in pesticides and to find pesticide product labels.

On this page:

• Pesticides Chemical Search
• Pesticide Product Label System
• InertFinder
• Active Pesticide Product Registration Informational Listing (APPRIL)
• Other Search Options

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Pesticides Chemical Search

Pesticides Chemical Search provides information on pesticide active ingredients. Enter the active ingredient’s name or Chemical Abstract Service (CAS) Registration Number to find:

• Regulatory actions.
• Science reviews.
• Evaluation schedules.
• Public comment opportunities.
• Access to public dockets.

The video tutorial provides an overview of how to use Chemical Search. ChemID is useful for finding (CAS) numbers.

Pesticide Product Label System

The Pesticide Product Label System (PPLS) is a searchable database of pesticide product labels. Search PPLS in any of three ways:

• Product, active alternative brand name.
• Company name.
• Chemical name (Active Ingredients)
• EPA Registration, Distributor Product, or Special Local Need Number, which is usually found on the back panel of the label along with the detailed instructions for use.

Inert Finder

Type in the name of an inert ingredient using our Inert Finder search. You also can search Inert Finder for inert ingredients by Chemical Abstract Service (CAS) numbers. (ChemID is useful for finding chemical CAS numbers.)

Inert Finder lists any limitations on the use of inert ingredients.

• Unlimited Use - Some can be used without limitation in any pesticide product.
• Food use - Many can be used in pesticide products applied to food crops, but some have crop and quantity limitations. For example:
  • Maleic acid can only be included in products applied to apples 21 days after harvest.
  • L-glutamic acid can only be used in seed treatment products.
  • The amount of adenosine is limited to 0.5% of a product.
• Non-food use only - Many inert ingredients can only be part of pesticide products that are not applied to food, such as herbicides sprayed on highway right of ways, household insecticides, or rat baits.

Inert Finder provides an easy way to search the Code of Federal Regulations for inert ingredient food “tolerances,” which are the maximum amount of chemical residue we will allow to remain on food or animal feed after pesticide application. All inert ingredients included in pesticide products applied to food and animal feed crops must have a ‘tolerance” or be exempted from the need for a tolerance. The electronic Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) contains the most current tolerances and exemptions, which are found in 40 CFR part 180 (mostly in 180.910 – 960).

Active Pesticide Product Registration Informational Listing (APPRIL)

The Active Pesticide Product Registration Informational Listing (APPRIL) is a searchable database of active and cancelled pesticide products (Section 3 and Distributor Products) with a link to PPLS. Information in APPRIL includes:

• EPA Product Registration Number (links to the Pesticide Product and Label System)
• Registration Type: ‘Sec3’ - FIFRA section 3 product; ‘DP’ - distributor product
• Product Name/Alternate Brand Names (ABNs)
• Status – Active, Cancelled, etc.
• Registration Date
• Company Number
• Company Name
• Transfer History
• Pesticide Type (Conventional Chemical, Antimicrobial, etc.)
• Pesticide Category (Herbicide, Insecticide, etc.)
• Use Patterns
• Signal Word (Caution, Warning, Danger, etc.)
• Restricted Use Flag (Y/N)
• Ingredients – Actives (PC Code, CAS Number, formulation %)
• “Me-Too” Indicator
• Section 3 products used as a reference for a “Me-Too” registration)
• Sites the product is registered to be applied to
• Pests the product is registered to treat
• Product Manager Team Information

Additional Search Options

• National Pesticide Information Retrieval System (NPIRS)  - NPIRS is a site run by Purdue University, which offers free and paid search functions. The site uses EPA data to provide registration information on pesticide products. 
   
• Pesticide Product Information System (PPIS) - PPIS contains information concerning all pesticide products registered in the United States. It includes registrant name and address, chemical ingredients, toxicity category, product names, distributor brand names, site/pest uses, pesticidal type, formulation code, and registration status. The PPIS are ascii files. Interested parties may access them using a variety of database and spreadsheet software.