Minimum risk pesticides are those that are exempt from the U.S. EPA registration process because they pose little or no risk to humans and the environment.
To qualify for an exemption as a minimum risk pesticide:
- Each active ingredient must be on a list maintained by the U.S. EPA. The list currently contains 31 ingredients (including citric acid, clove oil, mint oil, corn gluten meal, thyme oil, soybean oil, eugenol, cedar oil, dried blood) (full list);
- Each inert ingredient must be on the current list of minimal risk inert ingredients maintained by the U.S. EPA
- All ingredients must be listed on the label
- Active ingredients are listed by name and percentage (by weight)
- All other ingredients are listed by name
EPA notes these exemptions are meant “in part to reduce the cost and regulatory burden on businesses as well as the public for pesticides posing little or no risk, and to focus EPA’s limited resources on pesticide which pose greater risk to humans and the environment.”
EPA also notes they do not review exempted products. “Sale or distribution of a pesticide product meeting all the criteria…without a federal registration is not a violation…However, if a product does not meet all of the exemption criteria, the product is not exempt…and its sale or distribution if not registered would be a violation…”
Source: US Environmental Protection Agency Office of Pesticide Programs