Gateway on Pesticide Hazards and Safe Pest Management

Beyond Pesticides offers resources below to evaluate the health and ecological effects of specific chemical exposure from ACTIVE INGREDIENTS in pesticide products, as well as regulatory information and supporting scientific documents. Because various pesticide products can contain more than one active ingredient, it is important to READ the LABEL to determine chemical components.

With 192 different active ingredients and counting, it is essential to establish the connection between the use of these chemicals and their respective hazards.

View the step-by-step guide on how to search for the active ingredient(s) in pesticide products below:

1. Go to U.S. EPA's Pesticide Product and Label System and enter the product name. The generic product name may vary.
   
2. After searching, click on the chemical ingredients tab or the link for the most recent label to find Active Ingredients.
                Chemical List                                            Label List 
   
   If one selects the chemical ingredients tab, skip to Step 4 . If not, proceed to step number 3
   
   
3. To find the active ingredient(s) on the label, search for the page in the document containing the date of registration. Usually, the active ingredients section occurs within the first few pages of the label document.
   
   
4. Return to the Beyond Pesticides Gateway and search for the active ingredient name in the yellow box to the right or from the list below. 
   
   

Methoxychlor

General Information

• Fact Sheet: Methoxychlor.pdf
• Product Names:

  Bonide Rose and Flower (Bonide Products), formulated with Carbaryl, Malathion, Captan
  Ortho Home Orchard Spray (Monsanto), forumlated with Malathion, Captan
  E-Z-FLO Crop Guard (Bayer Cropscience), formulated with Diazinon, Xylene
  Rockland General Purpose Dust (Value Garden Supply), formulated with Malathion, Captan
  Purina Horse Spray (Purina Mills), formulated with Butoxypolypropylene glycol
  Prentox Mosquito Yard Spray (Prentiss), formulated with Malathion

• Chemical Class: Organochlorine insecticide
• Uses: No registered uses. Historically used on cockroaches, mosquitoes, flies and chiggers, as well as various arthropods that attack field crops, vegetables, fruits, ornamentals, stored grain, livestock, and domestic pets.
• Alternatives: Organic Agriculture, Least-toxic insect control
• Beyond Pesticides rating: Toxic

Health and Environmental Effects

• Cancer: Not documented
• Endocrine Disruption: Known (5)
• Reproductive Effects: Yes (4)
• Neurotoxicity: Yes (4)
• Kidney/Liver Damage: Yes (4)
• Sensitizer/ Irritant: Not documented
• Birth/Developmental: Not documented
• Detected in Groundwater: Yes (4)
• Potential Leacher: Not documented
• Toxic to Birds: Not documented
• Toxic to Fish/Aquatic Organisms: Yes (4)
• Toxic to Bees: Not documented

Additional Information

• Regulatory Status:
  • EPA Reregistration Eligibility Decision (RED) signed (6/2004)
• Supporting information:
  • Extoxnet Methoxychlor Factsheet (Extension Toxicology Network)
  • PAN Pesticides Database:Methoxychlor (Pesticide Action Network)
  • Scorecard Methoxychlor Factsheet (Environmental Defense Fund)