Species Safety Matrix
Each biosecurity active carries different risks for different animals. This matrix summarizes, for each Vegalab active, the species of greatest concern and the use restriction that follows. It supports product selection; the product label and safety data sheet govern every use.
Essential-oil actives
Geraniol, peppermint oil, rosemary oil and thymol: highest concern for cats, which cannot glucuronidate these compounds efficiently. Dogs, horses and livestock tolerate premise exposure better but can react to direct contact with concentrate. Poultry are sensitive to strong vapor in closed houses, so ventilation and bird removal during treatment matter. Bees can be affected by direct spray. Fish and aquatic invertebrates are sensitive to runoff. Restriction for all: premise, housing, bedding and perimeter only, never on animals.
Tea saponin and oxymatrine
Tea saponin: highest concern is fish and aquatic invertebrates, through gill absorption. Mammals and birds are less exposed by contact, but concentrate irritates eyes and mucous membranes. Restriction: no application where runoff reaches water. Oxymatrine: an alkaloid with limited non-target data for livestock and pets; treat as a hazard to aquatic life and keep away from feed and water troughs. Both need label amendment before any premise use. Label directions for any future premise use will set the specific buffers.
Nematodes and chlorine dioxide
Entomopathogenic nematodes: infect insect larvae only and are exempt from federal registration as biological control agents; their symbiotic bacteria do not grow at mammalian body temperature for Steinernema, and non-target concern centers on soil and litter insects. Chlorine dioxide: a respiratory irritant as a gas and corrosive in concentrate; at labeled drinking-water levels it is used in animal water systems within regulatory limits. Keep concentrated solutions away from animals and out of surface water.
How to use the matrix
Start with the animals present on site, then exclude actives with high concern for those species in that use zone. Where cats are present, exclude essential oils from cat areas. Where water bodies adjoin, exclude tea saponin near drains and edges. Then confirm the product label covers the site before use. Where several species share a site, the most sensitive species present sets the restriction for that zone. Record the choice in the farm biosecurity plan so staff apply it consistently.
Key facts
- Cats have deficient glucuronidation due to a UGT1A6 pseudogene (Court and Greenblatt 2000, Pharmacogenetics 10:355).
- Saponins disrupt membranes via sterol binding and are toxic to gill-breathing animals (Francis et al. 2002, Br J Nutr 88:587).
- Nematodes used as biological control agents are exempt from FIFRA registration (40 CFR 152.20(a)).
- EPA limits chlorine dioxide in drinking water to a maximum residual disinfectant level of 0.8 mg/L (40 CFR 141.65).
How our delivery technology applies
Encapsulation can shift exposure within the matrix but not its categories. Controlled release lowers peak vapor in housing, reduces free saponin available to runoff, shields nematodes from desiccation, and keeps chlorine dioxide precursors inert until dissolution. Those changes reduce exposure for non-target species under correct use; they do not move any active into an on-animal use.
Veterinarians: request the full species matrix with source references.
Related reading
Last updated: