EPA clears
EPA clears sodium nitrate for sealed-warehouse fumigation
EPA's rule lets warehouse fumigators use sodium nitrate in one after-harvest setup without a residue limit, starting June 15, 2026. The agency also corrected a typo in a separate chemical listing.
EPA finalized a narrow exemption for sodium nitrate used as an inert ingredient in one post-harvest fumigant setup. The chemical can be used only in a remotely detonated canister inside a sealed warehouse, and the rule takes effect June 15, 2026.
- EPA removed a residue-tolerance requirement for one sealed-warehouse fumigation use.
- The exemption applies only to post-harvest raw agricultural commodities.
- AgroFresh requested the change.
- The rule took effect June 15, 2026.
- In a final federal rule, EPA cleared sodium nitrate for one tightly limited job in the pesticide world
EPA finalized a narrow exemption for sodium nitrate in one post-harvest fumigation setup. The chemical can be used only inside a sealed warehouse, in a remotely detonated canister, for raw agricultural commodities, and the rule takes effect June 15, 2026.
A rule that stops at the warehouse door
That matters because the exemption removes a residue-tolerance hurdle for that specific use. EPA says there is no need to establish a maximum permissible level for sodium nitrate residues in that setting, which makes the practical path smoother for pesticide formulators, warehouse operators and commodity handlers using the method.
AgroFresh Inc. asked EPA for the exemption under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. The agency framed the action narrowly, not as a general green light for sodium nitrate across pesticide products.
A small correction at the end
The rule is codified at 40 CFR 180.910 and took effect June 15, 2026. Objections and hearing requests are due Aug. 14, 2026.
EPA also corrected a typographical error in the CAS registry number for d-alpha tocopherol, a technical cleanup folded into the same rule.