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Gateway on Pesticide Hazards and Safe Pest Management

How To Find Ingredients in Pesticide Products

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. 

Back to the Gateway

Malathion

General Information

  • Fact Sheet: Malathion.pdf
  • Product Names:
  • Chemical Class: Organophosphate insecticide
  • Uses: Alfalfa; apricot; asparagus; avocado; barley; bean (succulent and dry); beets (table); birdsfoot trefoil; blackberry; blueberry; boysenberry; broccoli; broccoli raab; Brussels sprout; cabbage (including Chinese); carrot; cauliflower; celery; chayote; cherry; chestnut; clover; collards; corn (field; sweet; and pop); cotton; cucumber; currant; dandelion; date; dewberry; eggplant; endive; escarole; potato; fig; garlic; gooseberry; grape; grapefruit; guava; hay grass; hops;
    horseradish; kale; kohlrabi; kumquat; leek; lemon; lespedeza; lettuce (head and leaf); lime; loganberry; lupine; macadamia nut; mango; melon; mint; mushroom; mustard greens; nectarines; oats; okra; onion; orange; papaya; parsley; parsnip; passion fruit; pea; peach; pear; pecan; pepper; pineapple; pumpkin; radish; raspberry; rice; rutabaga; rye; salsify; shallot; sorghum; spinach; spring wheat; squash; strawberry; sweet potato; Swiss chard; tangelo; tangerine; tomato (including tomatillo); turnip; vetch; walnut; watercress; watermelon; wheat (spring, and winter); wild rice; and yam; indoor stored commodity treatment and empty storage facilities for barley, corn, oats, rye, and wheat. Homeowner outdoor uses: ornamental flowering plants, ornamental lawns, ornamental turf, vegetable gardens and fruit trees; ornamental flowers, shrubs, and trees; Christmas tree
    plantations; slash pine; ornamental nursery stock; woody plants; building perimeters (domestic dwellings as well as commercial structures); uncultivated nonagricultural areas; outdoor garbage
    dumps; intermittently flooded areas; irrigation systems; pastures; and rangeland. Treatment of headlice and their eggs.
  • Alternatives: Organic agriculture, Least-toxic outdoor residential control, Least-toxic head lice control, Least-toxic mosquito cotnrol
  • Beyond Pesticides rating: Toxic

Health and Environmental Effects

  • Cancer: Suggestive evidence (26)
  • Endocrine Disruption: Yes (30)
  • Reproductive Effects: Yes (13)
  • Neurotoxicity: Yes (11)
  • Kidney/Liver Damage: Yes (4)
  • Sensitizer/ Irritant: Yes (6)
  • Birth/Developmental: Yes (7)
  • Detected in Groundwater: Yes (4)
  • Potential Leacher: Yes (4)
  • Toxic to Birds: Yes (8)
  • Toxic to Fish/Aquatic Organisms: Yes (8)
  • Toxic to Bees: Yes (8)

Residential Uses as Found in the ManageSafe™ Database

Additional Information