“Inert ingredients.”

Okay, if that were listed on our bananas, our strawberries, or our green beans, chances are we wouldn’t buy them. Remember that Progresso Soup commercial where the clerk keeps scanning the can and it reads different vegetables with each different scan? This would be like that, only with a bright red light flashing, sirens flaring, Hazmat men storming the scene with big metal tweezers to handle the can—all the while, the register reading, “ERROR.”

That’s exactly what’s listed on our pesticides, though—“inert ingredients”—the very same things that are used on lots of the fruits and vegetables we by, the very same things that we buy to tame our lawns and get rid of six-legged critters from our cabinets.

The thing is, it kind of sounds innocent, right? “Inert ingredients…” Well, I suppose corn could be an inert ingredient, right? It’s not like it moves or anything, I mean, once it’s cut and stops growing and all that.

But the reality is that “inert ingredients” stands for thousands of different ingredients that are allowed to be kept secret. Can you believe that—a secret from consumers? The scandal! Though it’s not that shocking, it’s way past time for us to be in on everything—yes, everything—that has the potential to get into our food, water, bodies, and children.

And “inert ingredients” aren’t exactly inert, either. According to studies conducted by the Center for Environmental Health, these are the same chemicals that can cause reproductive damage, cancer, genetic disease, and plenty of other things that result in sickness or death.

In order to get the EPA to start mandating that these ingredients be made public, we’ve got to send them plenty of calls for action. And we only have a tiny window for it, which is stupid, but at least it’s there. They’re considering making pesticide companies disclose their ingredients and will allow for comments from the public up to February 22.

Well, it’s a start—though health advocates, who’ve argued in favor of this decision for decades, might think otherwise.

If you can spare a moment to send a letter to the EPA voicing your concerns, please do so here. The CEH has a letter ready for you to sign if you like, but as always, please feel free to add your own personal comments, which are more effective. Remember, we have until February 22 to call for this important change!