Precautions pesticides

Chemical. Where severe chemical contamination is suspected, specific precautions must be followed if OSH A action levels are approached. Such instances rarely occur in LAQ investigations. One possible exception might be a pesticide spill in a confined space. In this case, an appropriate respirator and disposable coveralls may be needed. 

For most chemicals, inhalation is the main route of entry into the body. However, certain chemicals (e.g. phenol, aniline, certain pesticides) can penetrate intact skin and so become absorbed into the body. This may occur through local contamination, e.g. from a liquid splash, or through exposure to high vapour concentrations. Special precautions to avoid skin contact are required with these chemicals and potential exposure via skin absorption has to be taken into account when assessing the adequacy of control measures. Chemicals able to penetrate intact skin are listed in Table 4.2. 

People infected usually experience only mild flulike symptoms, but West Nile virus can result in life-threatening encephalitis or meningitis. DEET is the most popular pesticide used as a repellent for humans, with several hundred products containing DEET available in the United States. Because it is a pesticide, products containing DEET are required to be labeled with information concerning the method of application, directions for medical attention, list special precautions for children, and the percent DEET in the product. DEET is still available at 100% strength in the United States, but Canada bans formulation that are more than 30% and various groups have recommended that this standard be used in the United States. 

We suggest that exposure to any pesticide may be decreased with the following precautions ... 

FIFRA regulations control not only the safety of a chemical but also the labelling (application dosage, safety precautions, pest control, etc.). Registration of pesticides includes approval of label uses, setting of tolerances in foods and environmental and human safety. Registration of new pesticidal surfactants is very expensive and time consuming. 

Reduced conversions possible where mandatory pesticide use required and parallel production allowed for certain situations with precautions... 

Pesticides are stored and mixed with no appropriate precautions to contain spills. 

Pesticide containers must be labelled with information on the nature of the contents, instructions for the user, storage instructions, environmental precautions, and actions to take in the event of suspected poisoning. 

It is very important to remember that pesticides need to be used as tools to control and combat crop pests and unwanted weeds. With proper use and safety precautions during handling, storage, and disposal, pesticides provide benefits to the user and to the living environment. 

Pesticide poisoning has become common among farm workers, pesticide applicators, mixers, loaders, and handlers. This has been traced to the users ignorance, carelessness, and lack of elementary knowledge about taking the proper precautions before handling toxic chemicals. The symptoms of pesticide poisoning are not common to all the products, but vary with each product and its formulation. Some of the symptoms include headache, nausea, muscle aches, irritation of eyes and nasal and... 

There is a need, therefore, to educate workers at workplaces in fields or factories abont the consequences of the misuse of pesticides and the important precautions... 

The German model was developed with a goal to determine the nature of any special risks and safety precautions for the protection of workers handling pesticides as required by Council Directive 91/414/EEC. To comply with this Directive, exposure estimates must be compared to tolerable (acceptable) exposures for the relevant use scenarios and the active substance (active ingredient) under consideration. 

Pesticides are used in residential settings by professional and non-professional users, who differ in a number of aspects. First, professionals are assumed to be skilled and healthy adults, while non-professionals may include the young and the old, the careless and the careful. For professionals, it is appropriate to assume that personal protective equipment is used however, such an assumption cannot be made for non-professionals, even when such precautions are recommended. Secondly, use frequencies and use duration will generally be larger for professionals when compared to non-professionals. Thirdly, as a consequence of their intensity of contact, professionals are expected to use higher amounts of pesticides than non-professionals. 

End users in recipient countries may not be able to read contents, usage instructions, and precautions (where listed). Old pesticide containers may be used as containers for carrying drinking water or food. Governments may be aware of the threats these chemicals pose, but they may be constrained by a lack of funds or knowledge as to how to properly dispose of them. 

An examination of the causes of the Bhopal disaster clearly indicates that the accident would not have occurred if all necessary precautions had been taken in the maintenance and operation of the Union Carbide Pesticide Plant. This required continued and apt maintenance, regular inspection by independent authorities, sufficiently well-trained staff, and location of the plant far away from residential areas and not just within 1 km of the railway station and within 3 km of two major hospitals, as was the case in Bhopal. 

Pesticides are useful tools. But wrong or careless use could cause undesirable effects. To help avoid this the label provides precautions for protecting nontarget organisms and the environment. Some general statements appear on the label of almost all pesticides for example, most labels warn not to contaminate water when you apply or dispose of pesticides. The label will contain specific precautionary statements if the pesticide poses a specific hazard to the environment. Some examples are ... 

Each label tells you how to store the pesticide. The instructions may include general statements as well as specific precautions such as "Do not store at temperatures below 32°F."... 

Some pesticides are highly flammable others do not catch fire easily. The labehng of pesticides that require extra precautions often will contain a warning statement in either the "Physical/Chemical Hazards" section or the "Storage and Disposal" section. Pesticides that contain oils or petroleum-based solvents are the ones most likely to contain these warning statements. Some dry products also present fire and explosion hazards. 

In general, use and care for an aerosol generator as you would a sprayer. They do require special precautions. Be sure that the pesticides used in them are registered for such use. Keep them on the target. Because of the effects of weather conditions during application, follow special use instructions. The operator, other humans, and animals must be kept out of the fog or smoke cloud. 

In still other instances, the sensitive area may be near a site that is used for application, mixing/loading, storage, disposal, or equipment washing. The pesticide users must take precautions to avoid accidental contamination of the sensitive area. For example, a permanent site for mixing/loading or equipment washing could be equipped with a collection pad or tray to catch and contain leaks, spills, or waste water. 

Take precautions to keep pesticides from back-siphoning into water source. 

Some pesticides or certain uses of some pesticides may be classified as le-stricted use because of groundwater concerns. The user and applicator of these pesticides has a special responsibility to handle all pesticides safely in and near use sites where groundwater contamination is particularly likely. Take extra precautions when using techniques that are known to be likely to cause contamination of groundwater, such as chemigation and soil injection. 

All commercial packages of pesticide formulations must have a label that is approved by competent authorities. The label is an official document and contains important information on the fields of use, the storage, safety precautions, application rates, incompatibilities, and so on. 

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