PESTICIDE SAFETY

Katie Moore

Extension Associate, Pesticide Safety Education Program

​

Lesson Objectives

1. Explain the importance of pesticide safety
2. Differentiate between the 4 exposure routes
3. Summarize how to avoid pesticide exposure
4. Categorize acute and chronic effects of pesticide exposure
5. Identify signs and symptoms of pesticide exposure
6. Recalls pesticide exposure safety steps
7. Describe pesticide use PPE
8. Generalize the major parts of a pesticide label

​

​

​

​

​

​

Why is pesticide safety important?

Protect People (yourself and others)

​

Protect Environment (waters, plants, animals)

​

​

Avoiding Human Harm

• Humans can be poisoned or injured by pesticides
• Poisoning- when pesticides harm internal organs
• Injuries- usually caused externally

​

Avoiding Human Harm

• Toxicity- how poisonous a pesticide is, or the measure of the ability of a pesticide to cause harmful effects
• Toxicity of a pesticide is dependent upon the dose or amount of pesticide applied
• Exposure- when a pesticide gets on someone or enters their body

​

• Hazard = Toxicity X Exposure

​

Routes of Exposure

Dermal, Oral, Inhalation, Ocular

​

Avoiding Exposure

• Oral
• Wash hands before eating, drinking, smoking, or chewing
• Do not let pesticides splash into your mouth
• Be careful not to get pesticides on your food and do not ingest pesticides
• Store correctly, never in drink bottles!

Avoiding Exposure

• Inhalation
• Make sure to wear correct PPE and follow REI
• Make sure respirators fit correctly and filter, cartridge, and canister are adequate
• Avoid prolonged contact to pesticides especially in poorly ventilated areas

​

Avoiding Exposure

• Ocular
• Do not rub eyes with contaminated gloves or hands
• Wear eye protection when applying pesticides and do not apply them in windy weather
• Avoid splashing

​

​

​

​

​

Avoiding Exposure

• Dermal (97% of exposure)
• Wear correct PPE and do not wear contaminated clothing
• Wash hands after handling pesticides, containers, and equipment; wash hands before using toilet
• Do not spill/splash on skin and do not touch treated plants, soil, or livestock; avoid spray/ dust drift

​

Acute Effects

• Acute effects are illnesses/injuries that appear immediately after exposure (i.e. within 24 hours)

​

• Acute oral effects
• Burns to mouth, throat, stomach or damage caused from entrance into bloodstream
• Can come from swallowing pesticides or from rubbing mouth

Acute Effects

• Acute inhalation effects
• Respiratory system can be burned, or pesticides can enter blood to cause other damage
• Acute dermal effects
• Itching, discoloration, blistering, cracking or entrance into system
• Acute eye effects
• Temporary/permanent blindness or extreme irritation; entrance into system

Delayed Effects

• Illnesses or injuries that do not appear immediately (within 24 hours)

​

• Allergic reactions usually occur during a second, third, or more exposures to a substance; process is called sensitization
• Allergic effects include asthma/shock, skin irritation, eye and nose irritation (watering eyes/sneezing)
• Warnings may be found on labels, but it is impossible to predict who may become sensitized

Chronic Effects

• Illnesses that appear a long time, usually several years after exposure to a pesticide

​

• Examples: tumors/cancer, nerve disorders, respiratory disorders

​

Symptoms and Signs of Harmful Effects

• Poisoning: Nausea, weakness, pinpoint pupils, chills, headache, vomiting, fainting, diarrhea, cramps, chest pains, profuse sweating, tearing of eyes, excessive salivation
• External: blisters, swelling, redness, burns

Symptoms and Signs

• Heat stress has similar symptoms to poisoning.
• Instead of attempting diagnosis, get yourself/person in need to a cool place away from pesticides.
• Some symptoms NOT heat stress pesticide poisoning:
• profuse sweating,
• tearing of eyes
• excessive salivation

​

How to Respond to Poisoning Emergency

• Stop pesticide exposure first!
• Then call for emergency help.
• Check the label if you can see what to do.

​

Respond to Poisoning Emergency

Skin:

• Drench skin with water.
• Remove PPE/contaminated clothing and wash skin/hair thoroughly with mild detergent.
• Cover victim and prevent overheating/becoming too cold.
• Use a soft, loose bandage for burns. Don’t apply creams or powders.

​

How to Respond

• Ocular: Quickly wash eyes with a gentle drip of clean water for 15+ minutes. Don’t add anything to the water.
• Mouth: Rinse mouth, then give lots of water or milk to drink. Only induce vomiting if instructed on label.

​

​

How to Respond

Inhalation:

• Get victim and anyone at risk to fresh air.
• Loosen tight clothing
• Use artificial respiration if necessary
• Use an airway tube if available to prevent direct contact in mouth-to-mouth.

​

PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT�(PPE)

What is Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)?

• The clothing and devices that are worn to protect the human body from contact with pesticides or pesticide residues.
• Examples: gloves, coveralls, footwear, aprons, respirators, eyewear
• The label specifies PPE (it is the law-abide by it)

Chemical-Resistant PPE

• Usually plastic, rubber, neoprene, polyvinyl chloride
• Different materials will resist different chemicals for a different amount of time
• Example: neoprene is resistant to acetone for 30 minutes but is resistant to diesel fuel for more than 4 hours

Protecting Your Skin

• Skin is the most common place for exposure to pesticides
• Long-sleeved shirt and long pants
• Coveralls
• Chemical-resistant suit or apron
• A foil-laminate sleeved apron is best to protect the front of the body
• Always follow the label requirements!

Credit: Gemplers.com

Hand and Foot Protection

• Most exposure: hands and forearms
• Wear chemical-resistant gloves any time you may get pesticides on your hands
• Shoes and socks; some require chemical-resistant footwear
• Wash gloves before taking them off and wash your hands before you put the gloves on again
• Sleeves go on outside of glove
• Pants leg goes outside of boots
• Gloves: Shortest life span; need to be replaced often due to repeated exposure to pesticides
• Gloves: very effective form of PPE
• 99% protection to the areas of the body where approximately 95% of pesticide exposure occurs

Credit: PERC WPS

Head and Neck Protection

• If you will be exposed to pesticides from above:
• wear something to protect your head and neck (such as when you are loading and mixing)
• A chemical-resistant hood and wide brim will help keep pesticides off your head.
• plastic safari hat with plastic sweatband is best because on-absorbent
• Regular baseball hats are not recommended because they will absorb the pesticide

​

Protecting Your Eyes

• The label may require you to wear goggles, a face shield, or safety glasses with shields at both the brow and sides
• Eyes are very sensitive to pesticides
• Tight fitting goggles are best if you will be exposed to spray, mist, or drift (such as spraying in an open cab tractor)

​

Credit: Penn State Extension

Protecting the Respiratory Tract

• The lungs and other parts of the breathing system are very sensitive to pesticides
• You must wear a respirator if label requires it
• Good idea to wear one even if label does not require it

​

Credit: Iowa State Extension

Respirator Types

• Air-Supplying Respirators used…
• Where other respirators are not protecting enough
• When oxygen supply is low
• During fumigation in an enclosed area
• Air-Purifying Respirators
• Used in most situations
• They remove contaminants from the air by filtering or removing gases
• Cartridges and filters need to be used

Respirator Safety

• Follow label and respirator directions
• Face-sealing respirators must form a tight seal against your face
• Full-face styles form and keep a tight seal better than half-face styles
• Get a medical clearance to wear a respirator
• Do a fit test with each respirator style you will be using
• Do seal checks (or fit checks) every time you use it.
• Respirator canisters are color coded for the protection they provide.
• Example: black canisters protect from organic vapors

Washing and Maintaining PPE

• Important to wash PPE and work clothes after each use
• Best to hang items to dry for 24 hours
• This allows pesticide residues to evaporate
• Decontaminate clothes washer after washing work clothes and PPE

What’s the #1 thing you should do before buying and applying a pesticide?

Read the label!!

​

It is the law!! Best method to control while doing the least amount of harm to the environment and nontarget organisms

PESTICIDE LABELING

The Pesticide Label and Labeling

• The label is the information printed on or attached to the pesticide container
• Labeling includes: label AND other information on website, brochures, etc.

​

• Pesticide labeling is the law! It must be read and followed!

​

• The EPA approves all labels and changes to labels.
• Each Pesticide has a unique EPA registration number

Types of Registration

• Federal Registration- most common
• Special Local Needs Registration or 24(c)- this allows the state to further control how it will be used and can place further restrictions
• Emergency Exemptions from Registration or Section 18 exemption- used during an emergency situation, allows the product to be sold and used for a nonregistered purpose for a specific amount of time (allows for off-label use)

Pesticide Classification

• Unclassified
• Also called “general use”
• No certification needed to purchase
• Restricted (RUP- Restricted Use Pesticide)
• Classified as restricted if it could cause harm to humans or the environment
• Only certified applicators may purchase and use or supervise the use of these pesticides

​

Credit: Citrus Industry Magazine

​

RUP

Parts of the Label

• Brand, Trade, or Product Name
• Different manufacturers may use different brand names for the same pesticide active ingredient
• Example: RoundUp, Ranger Pro have same active ingredient, glyphosate
• Ingredient Statement
• Active ingredients
• Inert ingredients
• Common Name
• Example: glyphosate
• Chemical Name
• Example: N-(phosphonomethyl)glycine)

Credit: Pesticide Environmental Stewardship

• EPA Registration Number
• Example: EPA Reg. No. 3120-280-AA
• EPA Establishment Number
• Example: EPA Est. 100-SC-101
• Identifies the manufacturer and where it was made
• Name and Address of Manufacturer
• Net Contents
• How much is in the container
• Example: 1 quart
• Type of Pesticide
• Examples: Insecticide, Herbicide, Algaecide, Fungicide
• Type of Formulation
• Examples: WP (wettable powder), D (dust), EC (emulsifiable concentrate)
• Restricted-Use Designation
• Will be at the top of the label if it is a RUP

​

​

• Precautionary Statements
• Precautions that should be followed when using the product
• A statement that all pesticide labels contain: “keep out of reach of children”
• Another example: Do not contaminate food or feed

Signal Words

• Indicate the risk of acute toxicity to humans from pesticide exposure
• Danger/Poison (skull and crossbones symbol)
• used when the product may cause serious acute illness by oral exposure, can cause death in very low doses
• Danger
• Can cause severe eye damage and skin irritation
• Warning
• product is moderately toxic either orally, dermally, or inhalation or causes moderate eye and skin irritation
• Caution
• slightly toxic either orally, dermally, or through inhalation or causes slight eye and skin irritation

​

Label Contents

• First Aid Statements- lists first-aid treatments in case of poisoning or accidental exposure
• Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
• Tells you the minimum requirements for what you must wear
• Can change for specific tasks (loading, applying)
• Environmental Hazards
• Ex: highly toxic to bees
• Physical or Chemical Hazards
• Ex: fire hazard, corrosive

​

Label Contents

• Directions for Use
• How to use the product, pests controlled, mixing instructions, where and when it should be applied, restrictions such as grazing, etc.
• Storage and Disposal Instructions
• Agricultural Use Requirements
• Only on the label if needed for Worker Protection Standard
• PPE for handlers and early-entry workers
• Restricted Entry Interval (REI)
• The amount of time after a pesticide has been applied that no one should enter a treated area

​

Why you should read the label:

• Know the correct application rate and how to use it safely
• Determine what notification you need to make to your workers
• Determine if there are any off-label instructions to follow
• Understand the restrictions that apply to the application you will make

Questions??