Overview

Created in 2000 by Pesticide Action & Agroecology Network (PAN) North America, the Pesticide Info database is a one-of-a-kind resource that combines publicly available data to create an interactive, searchable database of every chemical and product related to pesticide use and application. This unique online tool brings together a diverse array of information on pesticides from many sources, providing human toxicity (chronic and acute), ecotoxicity and regulatory information and more for about 15,300 pesticide active ingredients and their transformation products, including solvents and other additives used in pesticide products.

This database of pesticide active ingredients is integrated with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) product database, which provides information on formulated products (the form of the pesticide that growers and consumers purchase for use) containing active ingredients. Information is most complete for pesticides registered for use in the United States, and use data is most extensive for California which requires pesticide use reporting.

Pesticide Info data presentation also reflects human expertise; scientists and toxicologists interpret and evaluate the data in every update. For more details, see our Sources and Methodology page.

Update History

Since Pesticide Info was launched in 2000 we have revised and expanded the data 16 times, with updates roughly one to three times per year (though there was a gap in data updates due to resource constraints between 2014 and 2019). Going forward, data will be updated at least annually.

In 2020 we made major revisions to both the datasets and format of the site. New features of this update include:

• Direct links to report pesticide-related illnesses in every state
• A fully revamped user interface
• An interactive map of pesticide bans around the globe
• Interactive maps of pesticide use in California counties
• PAN International Highly Hazardous Pesticide (HHP) designations
• A Resource Library with in-depth information on pesticides and alternatives
• U.S. Geological Survey pesticide use maps

In each revision, the following datasets are updated:

• California pesticide use data
• California groundwater contaminant list (added in 2009)
• California Proposition 65 list of carcinogens, reproductive and developmental toxicants
• California Toxic Air Contaminant list (added in 2009)
• California pesticide registration lists
• U.S. pesticide registration lists
• European Union pesticide registration data (added in 2008)
• Physical properties for CA groundwater contamination potential (maintained by the University of Hertfordshire)
• Rotterdam Convention (PIC) list (added in 2009)
• Stockholm Convention (POPs) list (added in 2009)
• U.S. EPA product data
• IARC cancer list
• U.S. EPA cancer list
• U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) Carcinogens
• World Health Organization (WHO) Acute Hazard list
• Endocrine disruptors (Our Stolen Future and the Danish Endocrine Disruptor lists)

Each update includes any new chemicals that have been registered for use in the U.S., and their associated information including:

• Chemical classifications
• Chemical synonyms
• Chemical use types
• Chemical volatilities

The following functions have been eliminated in the 2020 update:

• Air & Pesticides Information Center (AirPIC) – allowed users to make tables and graphs showing relationships between California pesticide uses and potential air impacts.
• Ecotoxicity by Chemical, Species and Effect – searched downloaded, static data from a database regularly updated by EPA; thus as soon as the agency updated information, our data was out-of-date. We now provide users with guidance for conducting searches directly on EPA’s Acquire website.
• Chemical structures – now easily available from online chemistry resources such as PubChem and  ChemSpider.
• PAN Dirty Dozen designation – this listing of pesticides targeted in PAN International’s 1985 global campaign has been replaced by the HHP designation listed above.
• Pesticide Poisoning Diagnostic Tool
• Water & Pesticides Information Center (WaterPIC) – provided information about the relationships between reported, agricultural pesticide use in California and measured surface water concentrations in the environment.
• WHO Obsolete Chemicals list

Feedback

We are always looking to improve Pesticide Info to make it as accurate, informative and useful as possible. Please use the form below to provide your suggestions and feedback. Thank you!

Acknowledgements

We’d like to offer a special thanks to Dr. Susan Kegley for initial design and development of the Pesticide Info database while she was a staff member at PAN, and her ongoing support with data updates through the Pesticide Research Institute.

The 2020 revamp project was coordinated by PAN Digital Production Manager Andrew Olsen working with Margaret Reeves and Kristin Schafer, with technical support from Ben Gardella and Eight25 Design. Special thanks go to Susan Haffmans of PAN Germany who maintains the PAN International list of Highly Hazardous Pesticides (HHPs), and Meriel Watts of PAN Asia and the Pacific who maintains the Consolidated List of Global Pesticide Bans — both lists are now incorporated into Pesticide Info.

Financial support for the 2020 update was provided by the Carroll Petrie Foundation and the U.S. Agency for International Development. We deeply appreciate their support for a much needed upgrade and revamp of this critical resource. General operating support from the Ceres Trust, Libra Foundation, Edna Wardlaw Charitable Trust, Arntz Family Foundation, Chrysalis Fund, Clif Bar Family Foundation, Judith Haskell Brewer Fund, Martin & Brown Foundation and donations from the members and supporters of PAN North America support ongoing maintenance of the site.

We are grateful to many people for input on the original database, including Californians for Pesticide Reform, the Global IPM Facility at the Food and Agriculture Organization, Northwest Regional Primary Care Association and our partners at other PAN Regional Centers. Margaret Reeves, Stephan Orme, Brian Hill, Tony Choi and Glen Jackson were key members of the initial development team.

The following foundations and agencies supported the initial development and launch of Pesticide Info in 2000: The Bauman Foundation (now closed), Bruce Miller and Cottage Industries, the Clarence E. Heller Charitable Foundation, the David B.Gold Foundation, HIVOS (Dutch Government Biodiversity Fund), KemI/SENSA (Swedish Chemical Institute and Swedish Environmental Secretariat for Asia), the Richard and Rhoda Goldman Fund (now closed), Rose Foundation, San Francisco Foundation, True North Foundation, U.S. EPA Regional Offices, U.S. Agency for International Development, Africa Bureau.