Pesticide Labels; how do we read them?

The week before Thanksgiving break, our class toured the Grain Marketing Product and research center (GMPRC) with Jim Campbell (yes, my major advisor).



http://ipdmanhattan.blogspot.com/2009/11/week-13-trip-to-usdaars-and-flour-mill.html Link to my teacher's blog for more information about the tour.



Unfortunately, I was ill and my teacher decided that in order to get credit for this week my assignment is to write about how to read pesticide labels.



So first a bit of a background:


In the United states there are approximately 1.2 billion tons of pesticides produced every year.
Insecticides are pesticides that are designed to kill insects and related invertebrates. Insecticides are typically chemicals. Insecticide nomenclature (naming) is a formal process which follows formal rules (“Definitive Rules for the Organic Chemistry”) and approval processes (Entomological Society of America {ESA}). All insecticides have three names: common, trade, and chemical.


Common Name is selected by the ESA and there is only one common name.


Trade Name (brand or proprietary) is given by the formulator (maker) or manufacture of the insecticide; most insecticides have multiple trade names and these names are followed by the registration mark ®.


Chemical Name (formula) describes the chemical composition of the insecticide and there is only one chemical name.


The sale and use of insecticides is regulated by federal and state laws. These rules are for the protection of pesticide users, consumers of treated products, domestic animals, and the environment. Pesticide labels must include ALL pertinent information for a pesticide except the identity of inert (inactive) ingredients. Insecticides must be registered with the EPA (see link at bottom of blog) and the registration of an insecticide is only valid for 15 years. This means that the insecticide must be reevaluated every 15 years to maintain EPA registration. However, the EPA can revoke a registration if new scientific evidence suggests that the insecticide is more harmful to humans, beneficial organisms, and/or the environment. There are two types of registration: general-use or restricted-use.


General-use insecticides are considered to be safe for the general public to use without additional training or knowledge. However, it is still critical to read and carefully follow the label instructions. These include insecticides that can be purchased in your local grocery store.


Restricted-use insecticides require additional training in order to safely use. These insecticides are often highly toxic to humans, other mammals, and/or beneficial organism and/or can negatively impact the environment if used, stored, or destroyed improperly. These include insecticides used by agricultural applicators, home-pest exterminators, and researchers (yes, I have gone though some EPA training).

Now a little bit of information on how toxicity is categorized and key words that you should find on pesticide labels.


NOTES: LD50 is the lethal dose where 50% of the population (usually rats) is dead. RE (reentry interval) is the time when you can go back into the treated area. ALL labels regardless of toxicity must have the statement “keep out of the reach of children.” Category I pesticides must have the skull and crossbones symbol.


Now that you have some basic concepts about insecticides and labels, I'm going to go more in-depth in what you should be looking for (find) in labels. I'm going to use DiaconII® to demonstrate label reading since I'm quite familiar with this insecticide (I use this in my research). The active ingredient is methoprene which is an insect growth regulator. Insect growth regulators affect the growth of insects particularly the larvae and pupae.

DiaconII® currently has two labels (specimen and supplemental) and an MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet).

http://www.diacon2.com/DiaconIISp_Lbl_2424061.pdf Link for specimen label for Diacon II

The specimen label is the label that is on the container. Notice that the label contains the trade and common names, EPA registration number which can be used to look up more information on the EPA website, and the cautionary statements for children and CAUTION. There is information on how to apply first aid if necessary and how to properly store and dispose of the chemical and the container. Additionally, there are many different applications for this chemical and it is critical that the applicator (such as myself) knows which application they should be using.

http://www.diacon2.com/DiaconII_suppl_Lbl.pdf Link for supplemental label for Diacon II

The supplemental label is additional information that the company provides for applicators. The trade name and EPA registration number are on the label. This label provides (in my opinion) better instructions on how to apply the chemical and calculate the amounts required for applications.

http://www.diacon2.com/25%2024%20023.%20PPM%20Diacon%20II%20MSDS%202724-427.pdf Link for MSDS for DiaconII (Methoprene, Insect Growth Regulator)

The MSDS is the last piece of information that I'm going to discuss. The MSDS is not required to be given to the purchaser but it is required to have one available for people to review. Many state and government regulations require employers to have a book that containers all of the MSDS's for all chemicals that are used and/or stored on their premises. The MSDA containers the trade and chemical names, precautionary statements, and EPA registration number. Toxicity and first aid measures are also provided. Furthermore, information about application equipment (personal protection) is also mentioned. In my opinion, this should be required to be provided with every pesticide purchase and it is a benefit for you to read before applying any pesticide.


Now, I realize that I didn't walk you through a label but I found a website that does a good job of providing pictures and text for reading a label so for more in-depth information please use this link: http://www.extension.org/pages/Pesticide_Label

Experience Rating:
I'm highly disappointed that I couldn't get to go on the tour. I have NOT yet seen the inside of a flour mill which sounds strange when you think about the fact that I'm working on a stored product project but all of my research is into a mechanism and it's possible consequence in flour mills


As promised- here are the links for registrations & EPA labels:

http://ppis.ceris.purdue.edu/htbin/ppisprod.com Link for registrations to use for EPA website for labels


http://oaspub.epa.gov/pestlabl/ppls.home Link for EPA labels but you must have registration numbers to find labels; however I had a hard time getting the labels to show up on the screen but that could be a software problem.


References:

Pedigo, L. P., & Rice, M. E. 2006. Chapter 11: Conventional Insecticides for Management, Pages 371-434. In Entomology and Pest management, fifth Edition. Pearson Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey.

Ware, G. W. Chapter 21: Toxicity and Hazards of Pesticide Use, Pages 215-234. In The Pesticide Book, Fifth Edition. Thomson Publication, Fresno, California.

Yu, S. J. 2008. 2000. Chapter 3: Pesticide Laws and Regulations, Pages 17-23. In The Toxicology and Biochemistry of Insecticides. CRC Press Taylor & Francis Group, New York, New York.

NOTE: the use of pesticide names is for educational and demonstrative purposes and is not a recommendation of use or efficacy.