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Show Expert urges safe use of oesticides I There are 13,000 farms in Utah, which make 13,000 reasons why safe use of pesticides for the health of farm families and the environment envir-onment is essential, a Utah State University pesticide expert said. Pesticides can be dangerous to farmers, farm workers and others if used carelessly, said Howard Deer, USU Extension pesticide specialist. That is why the United States government since 1947 has required certain label restrictions on pesticide products. These restrictions restric-tions concern protective clothing requirements, vacating fields during spraying operations and precautions for re-entry of fields which have been treated, he said. 'Label requirements are established estab-lished on the basis of a careful analysis of the chemical and its proposed crop use," Deer said. Both state and federal label restrictions re-strictions are enforceable by law and call for civil and criminal penalties for misuse, he said. Deer said the national pesticide protection standards include: No application of a pesticide to any field is permitted if unprotected un-protected workers or other persons ' not involved in the spraying are within the area to be treated. No unprotected workers may enter any field treated with a pesticide until the sprays have dried or the dusts have settled. Protective clothing requirements include at least a hat or other suitable head covering, a long-sleeved shirt and long-legged trousers or a coverall type garment, shoes socks. Appropriate and timely warnings warn-ings for workers expected to belaboring be-laboring in treated fields are required. re-quired. The warnings may be verbally ver-bally given or by posting signs at field entrances or on bulletin boards where workers usually assemble. If a worker does not read or does not speak English, a reasonable effort must be made to assure that the warnings are understood. Deer said these general regulations regula-tions do not replace label restrictions restric-tions on individual pesticide products. pro-ducts. If the label directions on a particular pesticide specify more stringent precautions than those enumerated in these national standards, stan-dards, then the label directions app- "Mosquito abatement projects, greenhouse treatments, livestock and other animal applications and other non-agricultural treatments are not covered by the national standards,' he said. "However, all label restrictions on specific products pro-ducts must be followed in these ap plications." The Environmental Protection Agency has designated specific reentry re-entry standards for certain pesticides found to be hazardous to workers who enter fields too soon after pesticide application, he said. If a pesticide is highly toxic orally, oral-ly, derm ally or through inhalation, he said the label is accompanied by the word "danger in large boldface letters. If the pesticide is moderately toxic, it is listed with the word, "warning.' If it is only slightly toxic, the pesticide bears the signal word, "caution." In use of pesticides, Deer said to wash hands and face before eating, drinking, using the bathroom or using us-ing tobacco. Avoid touching the face or other bare skin with contaminated con-taminated gloves or clothing. He said to immediately remove clothing and take a shower in case of excessive contamination--particularly at the end of the day before changing into clean clothes. Pesticides come in various formulations for-mulations including granules, wet-table wet-table powders, dusts, flowables and emulsifiable concentrates. Deer , said to look on the pesticide label under the boldface heading "Hazardous to humans. Directions Direc-tions will specify which part or parts of the body should be protected. pro-tected. He said the greatest danger when handling pesticides is when they are in concentrate form. This is when the most care must be taken to see that the body is properly covered. When mixing and loading pesticides which are moderately to highly toxic, he said a person should wear some kind of a shielding suit at the minimum. This could be anything from fabric coveralls worn over normal work clothes to a rubberized suit There are also disposable garments available, such as Tyvek, which allows for body heat to escape but does not permit liquids to penetrate. Other protective clothing should include splash protection goggles or a face shield; a respirator, if the label requires it; chemical-resistant gloves such as rubber, vinyl, plastic; and chemical-resistant boots or footwear. In the case of gloves and boots, never use fabric, leather or paper gloves and never wear leather or canvas footwear. How much protection you need depends upon the chemical itself and instructions outlined in the pesticide label If you don't read it, you'll never know. In the case of pesticides, what you don't know could easily hurt you, he said. |