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Publication #ENY416

Insecticide Safety1

Freddie Johnson2

Safety Precautions

Read and heed the precautions on the label. Relatively few deaths have occurred among workers handling poisonous agricultural products or insecticides. Those that have occurred can be traced to disregard of even the minimum safety directions and precautions found on product labels.

Some violations occur through ignorance or misunderstanding of the available information. Many more violations result from plain carelessness --- or what is worse, recklessness on the part of workers who have been adequately informed.

The key to safe handling is understanding coupled with the diligent practice of safe working habits. Accidents with pesticides can be prevented. Some of the major causes are: (1) leaving the material within reach of irresponsible persons; (2) failure to read and follow the use precautions on the label; and (3) carelessness in the disposal of empty containers.

Organic Phosphate Insecticides

The organic phosphate group of insecticides includes materials such as: methyl parathion, malathion, naled (Dibrom), azinphosmethyl (Guthion), dimethoate (Cygon), diazinon, ethion, acephate (Orthene), methamidophos (Monitor), oxydemeton-methyl (Meta-Systox-R), disulfoton (Di-Syston), fonofos (Dyfonate), phorate (Thimet), phosmet (Imidan) and chlorpyrifos (Lorsban). Some of these compounds are highly toxic while others are relatively safe. All of them, however, can be used safely by following the precautions on the label.

Early symptoms and signs of organic phosphate poisoning include headache, dizziness, blurred vision, weakness, chest discomfort and nervousness, a little later - nausea, abdominal cramps, diarrhea, sweating, tears, salivation, slow pulse, muscular tremors and possibly convulsions. This group of insecticides enters the body through ingestion (swallowing), inhalation (breathing), and absorption (through the skin).

Carbamate Insecticides

The carbamate insecticides include carbaryl (Sevin), propoxur (Baygon), methomyl (Lannate), carbofuran (Furadan), thiodicarb (Larvin), oxamyl (Vydate) and aldicarb (Temik). Some of these compounds are highly toxic while others are relatively safe. However, use only those recommended for the job after all of the label has been read and precautions followed.

Symptoms and signs of carbamate poisoning include constriction of pupils, salivation, profuse sweating, fatigue, muscular incoordination, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, and chest tightness. This group of insecticides can enter the body through ingestion (swallowing), inhalation (breathing), and absorption (through the skin).

Synthetic Pyrethroids

The synthetic pyrethroid group includes esfenvalerate (Asana), permethrin (Ambush, Pounce), cypermethrin (Ammo), zeta-cypermethrin (Mustang), and cyhalothrin (Karate, Warrior).

One of the most common signs of synthetic pyrethroid poisoning is a stuffy, runny nose and scratchy throat from inhalation of partly purified pyrethrum extract. Asthmatic wheezing may occur in susceptible individuals. Sudden bronchospasm, swelling of oral and laryngeal mucous membranes, and shock (anaphylaxis) have been reported after pyrethrum inhalation. Delayed appearance of breathing difficulty, cough and fever, with patchy lung infiltrates on x-ray suggest hypersensitivity pneumonitis. Nervous irritability, tremors, and inability to coordinate muscular movements have occurred rarely in persons who have had massive inhalation exposure to pyrethrins.

Chlorinated Hydrocarbon Insecticides

Chlorinated hydrocarbon type insecticides include Lindane, 1,3-D (Telone), methyl bromide (Brom-O-Gas, Dowfume MC-2, MC-33, Terr-O-Gas 67), chloropicrin (Chlor-O-Pic, Picfume), and Thiodan. These are generally less hazardous from an acute standpoint than many of the phosphates and carbamates. However some are highly toxic and label precautions should be carefully read before using these compounds.

Some Do's and Don'ts

  • Do read the manufacturer's label carefully and completely paying particular attention to precautions and antidotes.

  • Do wear adequate clean protective clothing and equipment as specified on the label.

  • Do wash immediately and thoroughly with soap and water if spray is spilled on the skin.

  • Do remove clothes after using poisonous chemicals and bathe with plenty of soap and water. Wash work clothes before using again.

  • Do wash hands and face before eating or smoking.

  • Do confine insecticides to the property being treated.

  • Do store insecticides in the original labeled containers away from food, feed or medicine; and out of reach of children, pets and livestock.

  • Do dispose of empty containers properly and safely.

  • Do call a doctor or get the patient to a hospital immediately if symptoms of poisoning occur during or shortly after spraying or dusting.

  • Don't breathe sprays or dusts.

  • Don't direct spray or dust stream into the wind.

  • Don't allow clothing to become saturated with dust or spray.

  • Don't use sprayers with leaking hoses or connections.

  • Don't allow drift onto neighboring fields, particularly pasture and forage crops, or fields containing produce ready to harvest.

  • Don't contaminate fish ponds, streams or lakes.

  • Don't use the mouth to siphon liquids from containers or to blow out clogged lines, nozzles, etc.

Sanitation

Destroy crop remains following last harvest as well as control volunteer crop plants and weed hosts in unused fields, along field edges and in the production fields. It is a good practice to rotate vegetable crops with cover crops or other crops that are not susceptible to the same pests. Fallowing and clean cultivation reduces many pests in fields not being used. Flooding with water for 6 to 8 weeks once a year can reduce many pests. These measures might be considered where sod or crop growth is not needed to reduce plant bed erosion and sand blasting.

Sanitation practices will aid in the control of many hard-to-control pests such as leaf miners, aphids and certain diseases.

Weather

Weather factors have a tremendous effect on the incidence of plant pests, the tolerance of plants to damage by the pests, the effectiveness of treatments and the likelihood of damage to the plants from insecticide treatments. Some insecticides are ineffective at low temperatures; some are effective for very short periods at high temperatures. Rains will often wash insecticides from the plant making an additional application necessary. Wind will decrease the effectiveness of sprays by blowing spray droplets or dust particles away before they are deposited upon the plant.

Footnotes

1.

This document is ENY-416, one of a series of the Entomology and Nematology Department, Florida Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida. Original publication date October 1993. Revised June 1997. Reviewed May 2003. Visit the EDIS Web Site at http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu.

2.

Freddie Johnson, professor of Entomology, Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, 32611.

The Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS) is an Equal Opportunity Institution authorized to provide research, educational information and other services only to individuals and institutions that function with non-discrimination with respect to race, creed, color, religion, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, national origin, political opinions or affiliations. For more information on obtaining other extension publications, contact your county Cooperative Extension service.

U.S. Department of Agriculture, Cooperative Extension Service, University of Florida, IFAS, Florida A. & M. University Cooperative Extension Program, and Boards of County Commissioners Cooperating. Millie Ferrer-Chancy, Interim Dean.