Are industry's secret 'inerts' an unrecognized environmental danger?

摘要

Glyphosate herbicides,such as Monsanto's popular Roundup,have an environmentally friendly reputation because their active ingredients are relatively non-toxic and degrade rapidly in the environment.But University of Pittsburgh biologist Rick Relyea is challenging this view.He has found that Roundup at environmentally relevant concentrations kills or harms tadpoles because of the presence of the surfactant POEA (polyethoxylated tallow amine),an ingredient that is defined as inert and doesn't appear on the label (Ecol.Appl.2005,15,618-627;1118-1124).