On June 6, 2025, the EPA announced Stepan Co. of Northbrook, Illinois, agreed to a $1,126,404 penalty settlement for allegedly distributing or selling a misbranded pesticide in violation of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA).
“EPA alleged a distributor for Stepan sold Wipes.Com Disinfectant Wipes, a misbranded disinfectant, 303 times,” an EPA news release states. “The label for Wipes.Com Disinfectant Wipes did not include the required directions for use. Additionally, the labeling contained several misleading statements regarding the product’s safety and efficacy. Stepan will correct the product labels and website claims.”
FIFRA
FIFRA was first enacted in 1947 and governs the regulation of pesticides in the United States. The Act requires all pesticides to be registered (licensed) by the EPA before they may be sold or distributed in commerce.
Under FIFRA, any products that claim to kill, destroy, prevent, or repel bacteria or viruses are considered pesticides.
FIFRA sets an overall risk/benefit standard for pesticide registration, requiring that pesticides perform their intended function when used according to labeling directions without posing unreasonable risks of adverse effects on human health or the environment. In making pesticide registration decisions, the EPA is required by law to consider the economic, social, and environmental costs and benefits of pesticide uses.
The label is law
FIFRA labels carry the weight of the law and provide imperative information about how to safely and legally handle and use pesticide products. All U.S.-registered pesticides carry the following statement: “It is a violation of Federal law to use this product in a manner inconsistent with its labeling.”
This statement is legally enforceable. One of the key functions of pesticide labels is to manage and mitigate potential risks from the use of the product.
To support the management of those risks:
- State and federal agencies enforce pesticide label requirements.
- Educational programs certify pesticide users.
- Pesticide users read and follow the label directions.
Requirements for pesticide labels are found in 40 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 156.
Pesticide registration
Before granting a pesticide registration, the EPA requires extensive scientific data to be submitted on the pesticide’s potential health and environmental effects.
Pesticide registrations provide the holder of the registration with a license to market that product in the United States.
In evaluating pesticides, the EPA reviews wide-ranging data and ensures the label translates the results of those evaluations into a set of conditions, directions, and precautions that define who may use a pesticide, as well as where, how, how much, and how often it may be used.
Before the product can be registered, applicants must prove that using the pesticide according to specifications “will not generally cause unreasonable adverse effects on the environment.”
FIFRA defines the term “unreasonable adverse effects on the environment” to mean:
- “any unreasonable risk to man or the environment, taking into account the economic, social, and environmental costs and benefits of the use of any pesticide, or
- a human dietary risk from residues that result from a use of a pesticide in or on any food inconsistent with the standard under section 408 of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.”
FIFRA decisions must also be consistent with other applicable statutes, such as the Endangered Species Act (ESA), meaning any pesticides considered for registration are required to comply with other regulations.
Label Review Manual
To assist in understanding FIFRA label requirements, the EPA developed the Label Review Manual, which provides guidance for product management team members who are responsible for performing label reviews.
It may also be useful for state label reviewers, registrants, and other individuals interested in producing readable, unambiguous, and enforceable pesticide labels.
The manual compiles existing interpretations of statutory and regulatory provisions and reiterates existing Agency policies.
Defining “label” and “labeling”
FIFRA defines these terms as follows:
- Label: Defined as “the written, printed, or graphic matter on, or attached to, the pesticide or device or any of its containers or wrappers.”
- Labeling: Defined as “all labels and all other written, printed, or graphic matter: (a) accompanying the pesticide or device at any time; or (b) to which reference is made on the label or in literature accompanying the pesticide or device, except to current official publications of the [EPA,] the United States Departments of Agriculture and Interior, and the Department of Health and Human Services, State experiment stations, State agricultural colleges, and other similar Federal or State institutions or agencies authorized by law to conduct research in the field of pesticides.”
For more information on FIFRA and pesticides, see: