Appendix C: Glossary of terms

Term

Definition

Active ingredient(s)

The component(s) of a formulation responsible for the direct or indirect biological activity against pests and diseases, or in regulating metabolism/growth, etc. A single active ingredient may be comprised of one or more chemical or biological entities which may differ in relative activity. A formulation may contain one or more active ingredients.

Agglomerate

Particles bound firmly together.

Aggregate

Particles adhering loosely together.

AOAC

AOAC International, formerly the Association of Official Analytical Chemists.

Apparent density

see Density.

Attrition

The wearing away of the surface of a solid by friction or impact, particularly by particle-to-particle interaction.

Batch

A defined quantity of material produced in a single series of operations.

Bulk density

see Density.

CA

Chemical Abstracts.®

Carrier

A solid formulant added to a technical grade active ingredient as an absorbent or diluent.

CAS^® No.

Chemical Abstracts Service® Registry number.

CIPAC

Collaborative International Pesticides Analytical Council.

CropLife International

Formerly known as GCPF and also GIFAP.

Closed meeting

A meeting of the JMPS dealing with confidential information, where participation is confined exclusively to experts appointed by FAO/WHO. Proposers and/or others may be invited by FAO/WHO for consideration of specific issues.

Compatibility

The property of chemicals or formulations which, when mixed together, do not adversely react or interact with one another physically, chemically or in their biological effect.

Cream

An opaque layer accumulating at the top or the bottom of an emulsion.

Density

Mass per unit volume of substance at a stated temperature. The units of volume and mass must be stated, e.g. grams per millilitre at 20 ± 2ºC. Bulk density of powders and granules refers to their apparent density, including the air, etc., incorporated into the bulk. Bulk density values are affected by settling (e.g. by tapping), compaction or pressure.

Device

For the purposes of this Manual, any physical or mechanical entity which is loaded with a quantity of pesticide, ready for immediate use without dilution, mixing, etc.

Dispersibility

The ease with which an insoluble solid or liquid material may be dispersed uniformly in a liquid.

Dust

A fine solid material, potentially airborne, with particle size less than 50 µm.

ECCA

European Crop Care Association

Ecotoxicological profile

A summary of data on ecotoxicological endpoints that may have consequences for aquatic and terrestrial organisms, due to possible exposure dependent on the intended uses, for a particular pesticide.

ELINCS No.

European List of Notified Chemical Substances number (for new chemicals).

EINECS No.

European Inventory of Existing Commercial Chemical Substances number (for existing chemicals).

Equivalence (equivalent)

The FAO International Code of Conduct on the Distribution and Use of Pesticides defines equivalence broadly as: "the determination of the similarity of the impurity and toxicological profile, as well as of the physical and chemical properties, presented by supposedly similar technical material originating from different manufacturers, in order to assess whether they present similar levels of risk".

In practice, determination of equivalence by the JMPS involves a comparative assessment of the impurity and toxicological profiles, as well as data for the physical and chemical properties, of technical grade active ingredients (TC/TK) produced by different manufacturers or by different manufacturing routes. The comparison is made with the reference profile in each case. If the materials can share a common specification, and if the degree of similarity is such that the material(s) produced by the additional manufacturer(s), or the new manufacturing route(s), present(s) risks that are considered to be no greater than the TC/TK on which the reference profiles are based, the additional/new material(s) can be considered equivalent to the original TC/TK.

Formulations of a particular pesticide are regarded as equivalent if they are prepared from equivalent TCs/TKs and conform to the same specification but this does not imply that they necessarily provide equal efficacy or present identical risks in a particular application.

Endpoint

Measurable physico-chemical, ecological or toxicological characteristic or parameter of the test system (usually an organism) that is chosen as the most relevant assessment criterion (e.g. temperature of decomposition, death in an acute test or tumour incidence in a chronic study).

Evaluator

An expert attending the JMPS, assigned by FAO/WHO to perform the evaluation of data provided in support of a proposed FAO/WHO specification, or of a proposed extension to an existing specification, following the procedural principles laid down in the current edition of this Manual.

FAO

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

FAO/WHO specifications

International standards of quality for pesticides evaluated and published by FAO/WHO.

Filler

An inert solid formulant used as a diluent.

Fines

see Undersize Particles.

Flammable

Readily ignitable.

Flammable liquid

A liquid having a flash point of not less than 21°C and not more than 55°C, as determined by a closed cup method. See also Highly Flammable Liquid.

Flash point

The lowest temperature at which a material forms a flammable vapour/air mixture under standard conditions.

Flocculation

Aggregation of particles suspended in a liquid.

Flowability

Ability of materials to flow freely under stated conditions.

Formulant

Any substance, other than a technical grade active ingredient, intentionally incorporated in a formulation.

Formulation

A pesticide preparation containing technical grade active ingredient(s) and formulant(s) in a form suitable for use.

JMPS

The group of experts appointed by FAO and WHO to deal with pesticide specifications.

Hazard

For the purposes of this Manual, the ability of a chemical or material to cause an undesirable effect. Undesirable effects are described in the definition of relevant impurities. See also Risk.

Highly flammable liquid

A liquid having a flash point of less than 21°C as determined by a closed cup method. See also Flammable Liquid

Impurity profile

Maximum concentrations of all impurities (including "unknowns") in a technical grade active ingredient produced by a manufacturer using a single process, derived from analysis of production batches. In general, the impurities are those with manufacturing specification limits at or above 1 g/kg but lower limits apply to exceptionally hazardous impurities. Where the same active ingredient is produced at different sites by the same manufacturer and manufacturing route, the profile should encompass all sites. Where the manufacturing route differs between sites, or the manufacturers differ, the impurity profiles should be defined separately. These data are confidential and not included in evaluations.

INCI No.

International Nomenclature of Cosmetic Ingredients number.

Independent laboratory validation

See peer validation.

Interested parties

Organizations or individuals, such as commercial companies, pesticide registration authorities, non-governmental organizations, and scientists concerned with pesticide specifications.

ISO

International Organization for Standardization, which publishes common names for pesticides which have generally been developed by the British Standards Institution (BSI). E-ISO indicates the English form of the name and F-ISO indicates the French form. French names are identified as masculine (m) or feminine (f) as appropriate.

IUPAC

International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry.

JMPR

FAO/WHO Joint Meeting on Pesticide Residues. Comprised of the FAO Panel of Experts on Pesticide Residues in Food and the Environment and the WHO Expert Group on Pesticide Residues.

JMPS

FAO/WHO Joint Meeting on Pesticide Specifications. A group of experts appointed by FAO and WHO to deal with pesticide specifications.

Lot

Part or all of a consignment that may comprise part of, all of, one manufacturing batch.

Lump

A macroscopic piece of solid matter without regular shape.

Manual

The current edition of the Manual on the development and use of FAO/WHO specifications for pesticides.

Minimum data requirements

Data required to evaluate proposals for FAO/WHO specifications. Such data are the minimum considered necessary to evaluate all aspects of the specification.

Non-flammable

Not readily ignitable, with a flash point above 55°C as determined by a closed cup method.

Open meeting

A meeting of the JMPS where, in addition to experts invited by FAO/WHO, participation is open to anyone who wishes to attend.

Oversize particles

Particles of a solid material larger than a specified size.

Peer validation (also known as Independent laboratory validation)

Validation of an analytical method by a (peer) laboratory operating independently from that of the originator of the method. The two laboratories may belong to the same organisation, as long as the analysts, equipment, etc., are distinct and operate separately and without collusion for the validation. The validation process will follow the peer verification procedure of AOAC International (or similar).

Pesticide

Any substance, or mixture of substances, or micro-organisms including viruses, intended for repelling, destroying or controlling any pest, including vectors of human or animal disease, nuisance pests, unwanted species of plants or animals causing harm during or otherwise interfering with the production, processing, storage, transport, or marketing of food, agricultural commodities, wood and wood products or animal feeding stuffs, or which may be administered to animals for the control of insects, arachnids or other pests in or on their bodies. The term includes substances intended for use as insect or plant growth regulators; defoliants; desiccants; agents for setting, thinning or preventing the premature fall of fruit; and substances applied to crops either before or after harvest to protect the commodity from deterioration during storage and transport. The term also includes pesticide synergists and safeners, where they are integral to the satisfactory performance of the pesticide. The term "technical pesticide" refers to technical materials and technical concentrates. The term "formulated pesticide" refers to any formulation containing a pesticide.

Phytotoxic

Phytotoxicity is the capacity of a compound to cause temporary or long-lasting damage to plants. The damage may be general or restricted to certain species or cultivars of plants. Phytoxic impurities or contaminants in a herbicide may extend the range of plants damaged beyond that expected.

Proposer

Any manufacturer, group of manufacturers, or interested party, which submits a draft specification and a data package, to FAO/WHO for evaluation, in support of a new specification or for extension of an existing specification.

Reference Specification

The current published specification for a pesticide, where this has been developed according to evaluation procedures similar to that given in this Manual (i.e. 1999-on for FAO specifications and 2002-on for WHO specifications). The reference specification is subject to review and may be revised in the light of emergent information, or to incorporate the formulations of a subsequent manufacturer. The reference specification is used as the first criterion in the determination of equivalence of a technical grade active ingredient and/or formulation of a parallel or subsequent manufacturer.

Reference Profile

The impurity, toxicological and ecotoxicological profiles upon which the original specification for a technical grade active ingredient is based. The reference profiles are used for the determination of equivalence. A reference profile is not amended by the data supporting additional technical grade active ingredients that are subsequently judged to be equivalent but, following a review of specifications by the JMPS, a new reference profile may supersede an earlier one. Generally, the reference profile of impurities relates to the technical grade active ingredient supported by the most complete toxicological and ecotoxicological profiles.

Release Date

The date from which the supplier guarantees a shelf-life of at least 2 years, unless stated otherwise, under actual conditions of storage in the area where the technical grade active ingredient or formulation is to be marketed.

Relevant Impurities

Those by-products of the manufacture or storage of a pesticide which, compared with the active ingredient, are toxicologically significant to health or the environment, are phytotoxic to treated plants, cause taint in food crops, affect the stability of the pesticide, or cause any other adverse effect. Water may also be a relevant impurity if it can adversely affect the stability of the pesticide or the manufacture of a satisfactory formulation. Insoluble material may also be a relevant impurity in a TC/TK if formulations to be prepared from them would block spray filters/nozzles, or fail the wet sieve test, for example.

Risk

The probability that an undesirable effect (see definition of relevant impurity) will manifest itself as a consequence of the presence of a hazard(see definition of hazard). In most cases, the concentration or mass of the hazardous material reaching the point at which the undesirable effect is initiated is a measure of the risk. In a certain cases, it may be impossible to determine the lowest concentration or mass which is associated with no observable risk that the undesirable effect will be manifested.

Sedimentation

The fall of particles in a continuous medium (usually liquid for specification purposes).

Seed treatment

The process of coating or impregnating seeds with a chemical.

Sieving

Separation of particles according to their size by the use of sieves.

Size distribution

The mass or numerical frequency distribution of the particles of a solid particulate material.

Size range

Lower and upper limits in size of a particulate material.

Subsequent, additional or parallel manufacturer

Any pesticide manufacturer other than the proposer of the original specification.

Surfactant

A formulant which reduces the interfacial tension of two boundary surfaces, thereby increasing the emulsifying, spreading, dispersibility and/or wetting properties of liquids or solids.

Tank mix

Two or more formulations mixed in the spray tank (including non-pesticide fomulations e.g. liquid fertilizers).

Tap density

see Density.

Tolerance

Permitted limits of variation active ingredient content from a given value. Known as "certified limits" in some countries.

Toxicological profile

A summary of data on toxicological endpoints that may have consequences for human health, due to exposure via various routes, for a particular pesticide.

Undersize particles

Particles of a solid material smaller than a specified size.

WHO

World Health Organization.

WHOPES

WHO Pesticide Evaluation Scheme.