EPA Updated the Pesticide Label Review Manual

EPA has substantively updated the General Labeling Requirements, Precautionary Statements, and Net Contents/Net Weight Chapters of the Pesticide Label Review Manual, and made minor editorial changes throughout the rest of the manual. This manual is designed to help industry understand the pesticide labeling process and how labels should be drafted under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA).

The latest updates are as follows:

General Labeling Requirements — Chapter 3:

  • Web-distributed labeling section now includes container label language example;
  • Label submission requirements section now includes e-submission option;
  • Final printed labeling section now reflects current practices;
  • Updated mode of action symbol reference from PR Notice 2001-5 to PR Notice 2017-1; and
  • First aid statement location now reflects requirements of EPA’s guidance document “EPA’s Guidance for Pesticide Registrants on Location of the First Aid Statement per 40 CFR 156.68.”

Precautionary Statements — Chapter 7:

  • Added dermal sensitization to acute toxicity categories table (Table 1);
  • Reinstated first aid statements per PR Notice 2001-1, and updated location of first aid statements per the Feb. 27, 2018, First Aid Guidance Document “EPA’s Guidance for Pesticide Registrants on Location of the First Aid Statement per 40 CFR 156.68”;
  • Added Note to Physician statement for products containing zinc phosphide;
  • Updated National Pesticide Information Center NPIC information in first aid statements example in Table 9;
  •  Changed “Labeling Options” section to “Modified precautionary statements for diluted products (aqueous solutions only)”;
  • Removed redundant section on NPIC and referenced Chapter 15 for details; and
  • Removed “Optional Labeling/Deviations” section and moved directions under their respective sections.

Net Contents/Net Weight — Chapter 17:

  • Updated introduction section to include notes on declaring net contents information on application form 8570-1 and leaving net contents information blank on draft label for refillable containers; and
  • Updated labeling requirements for packages that use Bag on Valve technology to reflect 2018 NIST Handbook 130 regulations for net weight measurements.