Glossary of EPA registration terms

The words that come up when you work with the US pesticide register, explained in plain English.

Active ingredient: The substance in a product that controls the pest, as opposed to the inert ingredients that carry or stabilise it. One active ingredient can be sold under many names, which is why Dantive matches every name, trade name and CAS number to the same ingredient.
Active registration: A product registration that is currently in force. Products can be cancelled by EPA or voluntarily by the company. Dantive counts active registrations only.
Biopesticide: A pesticide derived from natural materials, such as microorganisms, naturally occurring substances, or traits added to plants. EPA reviews them in a separate division and often on a faster track.
Distributor product: A product sold by a distributor under its own brand name and label, based on another company's registered product. Its EPA registration number adds a third part to the original number, for example 12345-67-89012. Also called a supplemental distribution.
End-use product: A product formulated and labelled for use by applicators or consumers, as opposed to a technical product used to make other products.
EPA company number: The number EPA assigns to each registrant. It forms the first part of every registration number the company holds.
EPA registration number: The identifier of a registered pesticide product. It has two parts, the company number and the product number, for example 12345-67. Distributor products add a third part.
FIFRA: The Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act, the US law under which EPA registers pesticides and regulates their sale and use.
Label: The legally binding document that comes with every registered product. It sets out how the product may be used, on what, at what rates and with which precautions. Using a product in a way that is inconsistent with its label is a violation of federal law.
Label amendment: A change to an approved label, for example to add a use site, change a rate or update precautions. EPA accepts the amended label as a new version.
Master label: The registrant's label for a product. Distributor labels must stay consistent with it, so when the master label changes, distributors selling that product have to update their labels too.
PC code: EPA's numeric code for an active ingredient. Different salts or forms of the same chemical can have different PC codes.
PPE: Personal protective equipment: the gloves, clothing, eyewear and respirators a label requires for people handling the product.
Registrant: The company that holds a pesticide registration and is responsible for it.
Registration review: EPA's periodic re-evaluation of registered pesticides, at least once every 15 years, to check they still meet current standards. It can lead to new restrictions or cancellations.
Registration transfer: The move of a registration from one company to another, for example after an acquisition. The product usually receives a new registration number under the new owner's company number.
Restricted-entry interval (REI): The time after an application during which workers may not enter a treated area without protective equipment.
Restricted use product (RUP): A product that may only be bought and used by certified applicators, or people under their supervision, because of its potential for harm.
Section 3 registration: A standard federal registration under Section 3 of FIFRA, allowing a product to be sold and used across the US according to its label.
Section 18 exemption: A temporary emergency exemption that lets a state or federal agency allow an unregistered use of a pesticide to deal with an emergency pest problem.
Section 24(c) registration: A state registration, also called a Special Local Need registration, that allows an additional use of a federally registered product within one state.
Signal word: The word on the front of a label that indicates how hazardous the product is to handle: Danger for the highest hazard, Warning for moderate and Caution for the lowest.
Technical product: A high-concentration form of an active ingredient, registered so it can be used to manufacture end-use products. New technical registrations are often the first sign of a generic competitor.
Worker Protection Standard: The federal rule that protects agricultural workers and pesticide handlers, covering training, PPE, notification and restricted-entry intervals.

These are general explanations, not legal advice. For the authoritative wording, see EPA's own guidance and the regulations themselves.