Subject: "Secret" Neem Ingredients

From: [email-masked] (Bob Batson)
Date: Thu, 1 Dec 94 12:08:00 -0600

Secret "Inert" Ingredients in Some Neem Pesticides

  According to the editor of _The IPM Practitioner_, certain
formulations of neem-based pesticides --- valued by organic growers
because of their combination of amazing efficacy and low toxicity to
humans and beneficials --- contain "inert" ingredients which we believe
some gardeners might prefer to avoid. In particular, "Align" (registered
for use on food crops), "Azatin" (registered for use on ornamentals and
non-food crops), and "Turplex" (registered for turf and golf course
use), all marketed by AgriDyne Technologies, Inc. (2401 S. Foothill,
Salt Lake City, UT 84109), contain secret inert ingredients which were
revealed in a research paper to include naphthalene, butanol, and
petroleum distillates. Other commercially available neem pesticides
contain (in addition to the active ingredients derived from neem) a
probably innocuous emulsifier, a stabilizer to slow breakdown in
ultraviolet light (also probably innocuous), ethanol (grain alcohol),
and water.
  We [_HortIdeas_] wonder whether naphthalene and petroleum distillates
aid the effectiveness of the products from AgriDyne Technologies. We
also wonder whether those "inerts" might have potential environmental
and/or health impacts.
  Reference: William Quarles, "Neem Tree Pesticides Protect Ornamental
Plants," _The IPM Practitioner 16(10)_, October 1994, 1-13.
(Bio-Integral Resource Center, P.O. Box 7414, Berkeley, CA 94707.
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Reprinted with permission from the October 1994 _HortIdeas_. Copyright
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Bob Batson                              L 39 12 14 N  94 33 16 W
[email-masked]                    USDA Zone 5
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