> One should also note that the OSS in itself  does not seem to be a problem,  hence the inert classification.

Wrong again. You have missed the entire point, these substances are not inert. 

> Spray adjuvants are largely assumed to be biologically inert and are not registered by the USA EPA, leaving their regulation and monitoring to individual states. Organosilicone surfactants are the most potent adjuvants and super-penetrants available to growers. Organosilicone surfactants are good *stand alone pesticides*,* toxic to bees*, and are also present in drug and personal care products, particularly shampoos, and thus represent an important component of the chemical landscape to which pollinators and humans are exposed. 

> Even at 10 ppm, OSSAs are good, stand-alone insecticides and miticides, and can be more toxic to beneficial insects than the active ingredient used to control the associated pest

> Silwet L-77® was the most potent endocrine disruptor among surfactants tested in a screen of 1,814 chemicals, with composite scores that placed it in the top 38 of the 465 endocrine disruptors found 

> The high incidence of OSSAs in USA beehives and their ability to impair adult learning and be toxic to honey bees at all stages of development points to their great potential to harm bees and other non-target species, and yet, they are typically not even considered in the risk assessment process.

Mullin, Christopher A., Julia D. Fine, Ryan D. Reynolds, and Maryann T. Frazier. "Toxicological risks of agrochemical spray adjuvants: organosilicone surfactants may not be safe." Frontiers in public health 4 (2016).

             ***********************************************
The BEE-L mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned
LISTSERV(R) list management software.  For more information, go to:
http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html