Labels + Laws
20%of exam
Formulations + Safety
25%of exam
Personal Protective Equipment
15%of exam
Pest ID + IPM
20%of exam
Environment + Equipment
20%of exam
Quick Facts
- Exam
- EPA Core / General
- Standard
- 40 CFR 171
- Source
- National Core Manual
- Questions
- ~100 Core
- Pass
- 70% typical
- Time
- 2-3 hours
- Then
- Core + category
- Renew
- CEUs every 3-5y
Signal Word Order
DANGER > WARNING > CAUTION (high to low)
DANGER: drops killWARNING: teaspoonCAUTION: ounce-plusSkull: highly toxic oral
DANGER vs CAUTION
DANGER
- Highly toxic
- Few drops lethal
- Skull if oral
CAUTION
- Slightly toxic
- Ounce-plus lethal
- Lowest hazard
Lower LD50 = higher signal
Label Parts
- Brand name
- Manufacturer trade name
- Ingredient statement
- Active + inert %
- EPA reg no.
- Registered product ID
- Signal word
- Acute toxicity level
- Precautionary statements
- Hazards + PPE
- Directions for use
- Legal use rules
- Restricted use
- RUP top box
Restricted vs General Use
RUP
- Certified only
- Top label box
- Records required
General use
- Public may buy
- No restriction box
- Lower risk
Who may apply it
Signal Words
- DANGER-POISON
- Highly toxicskull
- DANGER
- Severe irritant
- WARNING
- Moderately toxic
- CAUTION
- Slightly toxic
- No signal word
- Lowest toxicity
- Most restrictive wins
- Tank mix rule
Laws + Agencies
- FIFRA
- Federal pesticide law
- EPA
- Registers pesticides
- State lead agency
- Enforces, certifies
- WPS
- Worker Protection Standard
- FQPA
- Food residue tolerances
- Label is law
- Binding directions
RUPs + Records
- RUP
- Restricted use pesticide
- Certified buys RUP
- Or under supervision
- RUP records
- Keep 2 years
- Record contents
- Product, site, rate, date
- Off-label rate
- Lower allowed, never higher
- Use violation
- Civil + criminal penalty
Exposure Routes
Dermal, Oral, Inhalation, Ocular
Dermal: most commonInhalation: fastestOral: ingestionOcular: eyes
LD50 vs LC50
LD50
- Dose-based
- Oral/dermal
- mg/kg body
LC50
- Concentration-based
- Inhalation/water
- Air or water
Dose vs concentration
Formulation Picker
- Porous surface→WP/WDG(Less absorption)
- Near electrical→Dust(No water)
- Minimize drift→Granule(No mixing)
- Foliar coverage→EC(Skin risk)
- Rodent control→Bait(Targeted)
- Mosquito fogging→ULV(Fine droplets)
Formulation Codes
- EC
- Emulsifiable concentrate
- WP
- Wettable powder
- WDG/DF
- Water-dispersible granule
- G
- Ready-to-use granule
- D
- Dust, low %
- S/SL
- Soluble liquid
- ULV
- Ultra-low volume
- B
- Bait formulation
Toxicity vs Hazard
Toxicity
- Inherent property
- Fixed by chemical
- Measured by LD50
Hazard
- Real-world risk
- Toxicity x exposure
- Lower with PPE
Property vs actual risk
Formulation Traits
- EC
- Skin absorption risk
- WP
- Inhalation when mixing
- WP
- Needs agitation
- Granule
- Low drift, no mixing
- Dust
- High drift risk
- Adjuvant
- Improves performance
- Surfactant
- Spreads, wets leaf
Toxicity + Hazard
- LD50
- Lethal dose, 50%
- LC50
- Lethal concentration, air
- Low LD50
- More toxic
- Acute
- Single exposure effect
- Chronic
- Long-term repeated effect
- Toxicity
- Inherent harm capacity
- Hazard
- Toxicity + exposure
Exposure + First Aid
- Dermal
- Most common route
- Inhalation
- Fastest to blood
- Oral
- Ingestion route
- Ocular
- Eye contact
- Skin
- Wash 15+ minutes
- Eyes
- Flush 15+ minutes
- Poison Control
- 1-800-222-1222
- Take label
- Bring to physician
Poisoning Signs
- Organophosphate
- Cholinesterase inhibitor
- Carbamate
- Cholinesterase inhibitor
- Mild signs
- Headache, nausea, sweating
- Severe signs
- Pinpoint pupils, convulsions
- Antidote
- Atropine (medical only)
- Heat stress
- Confused with poisoning
PPE by Signal Word
- DANGER label→Max PPE(Often respirator)
- WARNING label→Gloves + coveralls(Check label)
- CAUTION label→Gloves, long sleeves(Minimum)
- Mixing concentrate→Add apron + face(Highest risk)
- Overhead exposure→Chemical hood(Air-blast)
- Tank mix products→Most restrictive(Combine PPE)
Glove Materials
- Nitrile
- Broad chemical resistance
- Butyl
- Best vapor resistance
- Neoprene
- Good general resistance
- Barrier laminate
- Widest protection
- No leather/cloth
- Absorbs pesticide
- 14-mil minimum
- Unless label allows thinner
Respirators
- N/R/P-95
- Particulate filter
- OV cartridge
- Organic vapor
- Combination
- Vapor + particulate
- Fit test
- Required tight respirators
- NIOSH approval
- Match label number
- Medical eval
- Before respirator use
PPE + Decon
- PPE source
- Pesticide label
- Coveralls
- Over work clothes
- Chemical apron
- Mixing concentrates
- Decon supplies
- Water, soap, towels
- Wash before removing
- Gloves last off
- Launder separately
- From family clothes
IPM Control Order
Bugs Can Munch Greens Carefully
BiologicalCulturalMechanicalGeneticChemical last
Threshold vs Injury Level
Economic threshold
- Act now
- Prevents reaching EIL
- Decision point
Injury level
- Damage = cost
- Loss begins
- Too late
Act before injury level
Control Method Picker
- Below threshold→Monitor only(No treatment)
- Pest has predators→Biological(Conserve enemies)
- Recurring soil pest→Cultural(Rotate crop)
- Localized infestation→Mechanical(Trap, barrier)
- Above threshold→Chemical(Selective product)
- Repeated same product→Rotate MOA(Resistance)
IPM Steps
- Identify pest
- Correct ID first
- Monitor
- Scout, count, trap
- Set threshold
- Action level decision
- Select tactics
- Combine control methods
- Apply + evaluate
- Record, follow up
- Pest type
- Continuous, sporadic, potential
Control Methods
- Biological
- Natural enemies, predators
- Cultural
- Crop rotation, sanitation
- Mechanical/physical
- Traps, barriers, tillage
- Genetic
- Resistant varieties
- Regulatory
- Quarantine, inspection
- Chemical
- Pesticide, last resort
Thresholds + Resistance
- Economic threshold
- Treat to prevent loss
- Economic injury level
- Damage equals cost
- Action threshold
- Trigger to act
- Resistance
- Survivors pass genes
- Rotate MOA
- Mode of action
- Resurgence
- Pest rebounds rapidly
Spill 3 Cs
Control, Contain, Clean up
Control: stop flowContain: dike/absorbClean: bag waste
REI vs PHI
REI
- Protects workers
- Entry interval
- Hours to days
PHI
- Protects consumers
- Harvest interval
- Residue limit
Entry vs harvest
Spill Response (3 Cs)
- Spill occurs→Control source(Stop flow)
- Protect area→Contain(Dike, absorb)
- Spreading liquid→Absorbent(Cat litter)
- Area secured→Clean up(Bag waste)
- Large/water spill→Call CHEMTREC(1-800-424-9300)
- Never→Hose to drain(Spreads it)
Drift Control
- Particle drift
- Droplets move offsite
- Vapor drift
- Volatile gas movement
- Larger droplets
- Less drift
- Lower boom
- Less drift
- Inversion
- Do not spray
- Buffer zone
- Protect sensitive areas
Boom GPA Formula
GPA = 5940 x GPM / (MPH x W)
GPM: per nozzleW: spacing inches5940: constantFaster = less applied
Leaching vs Runoff
Leaching
- Moves down
- Sandy soil
- Hits groundwater
Runoff
- Moves across
- Slopes, rain
- Hits surface water
Down vs across soil
Water + Wildlife
- Leaching
- Moves to groundwater
- Runoff
- Moves to surface water
- Backflow device
- Anti-siphon at fill
- Setback
- Distance from wells
- Endangered species
- Follow bulletin, label
- Pollinators
- Avoid bloom, drift
Calibration
- Calibrate
- Measure actual output
- GPA
- Gallons per acre
- Boom GPA
- 5940 x GPM / MPH / W
- Check nozzles
- Replace 10% off
- Speed affects rate
- Faster = less applied
- Recalibrate
- New product or worn tips
Nozzles + Droplets
- Flat fan
- Broadcast herbicide
- Flood/flat
- Wide, low pressure
- Hollow cone
- Foliar insect/fungus
- Even fan
- Band application
- Coarse droplet
- Drift reduction
- Fine droplet
- Better coverage
Transport + Storage
- Secure load
- Never in cab
- Original container
- Keep label legible
- Storage site
- Locked, ventilated, dry
- Separate from feed
- Away from food
- Spill kit
- Absorbent, shovel, bags
- 3 Cs
- Control, contain, clean
Disposal + Rinsing
- Triple rinse
- Or pressure rinse
- Rinsate
- Spray on labeled site
- Empty container
- Puncture, recycle
- Excess pesticide
- Use per label
- Never sewer/drain
- Contaminates water
- REI
- Restricted-entry interval
- PHI
- Preharvest interval
Common Traps
Toxicity vs hazard
Toxicity is inherent ≠ Hazard adds exposure
LD50 direction
Lower LD50 more toxic ≠ Higher LD50 less toxic
REI vs PHI
REI protects workers ≠ PHI protects consumers
Label rate limit
May go lower ≠ Never exceed label
Chemical control rank
Chemical is last ≠ Try nonchemical first
Drift droplet size
Larger droplets less drift ≠ Fine droplets more drift
Heat vs poisoning
Symptoms overlap ≠ Treat both seriously
Last Minute
- 1.Label is the law
- 2.DANGER > WARNING > CAUTION
- 3.Lower LD50 = more toxic
- 4.Toxicity inherent; hazard = exposure
- 5.Dermal route most common
- 6.PPE source = pesticide label
- 7.Most restrictive PPE in mixes
- 8.IPM: nonchemical before chemical
- 9.Treat at economic threshold
- 10.Larger droplets reduce drift
- 11.Triple rinse, never drain
- 12.REI = workers; PHI = harvest
Buy on Amazon