Failure to Warn

Under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (“FIFRA”), the Environmental Protection Agency is required to approve all language found on any pesticide product label in order for that particular product to be sold to the public.

During this review process, the EPA generally requires basic “hazard and precautionary statements” to address potential impacts to people, domestic animals and the environment. The EPA also approves optional product label language, including what can be used to promote or advertise a pesticide product’s benefits. However, the agency has never required any standardized pesticide label language to address any chronic health harms or cancer risks.

For this review we analyzed more than 93,000 historic and currently approved pesticide labels for all active, so-called “end-use” pesticide products currently available to pesticide users. In particular we examined the labels of pesticide product containing pesticide active ingredients that the EPA had already designated as “likely” or “probable” carcinogens.