ABSTRACT
The term “adjuvants”, which are substances that are intentionally added to pesticide formulations, is preferred to the word “inerts”. It is unfortunate that the term “inert ingredients” was used for anything that was intentionally added to a pesticide formulation that has gone through the processes of regulation, legislation, etc. Good adjuvants make ordinary chemicals do extraordinary things. They bring out the best. There is a notion that adjuvants or inerts are added to a product as fillers, substances which have no beneficial function. Adjuvants will play a more critical role than ever in pursuing that strategy. Some adjuvants are going to pose some unacceptable risks that are going to cause their removal from the market, and it is going to be more difficult to secure approval for new ones. New adjuvants are going to have to demonstrate clear-cut benefits which present significant new market opportunities.
