Review Label Entirely When Using Pesticide
Brian Triplett
When faced with a nuisance on their property, homeowners and farmers often turn to the use of a commercially available pesticide for assistance. Pesticides, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, are substances or mixtures of substances intended to prevent, destroy, repel or mitigate any pest.
Under this broad definition, a “pest” can be thought of as an insect, plant, disease or animal that is causing a problem and for which control is desired. Before applying any product to your home or farm, make sure that you review the label in its entirety to help ensure you and your family’s safety and in order to achieve maximum product effectiveness.
The most prominent wording on the pesticide label will be the product’s brand or trade name. This is the name under which the active ingredient(s) are marketed to the public.
Along with the brand name will often be some wording that identifies the type of formulation in which the product is contained. For example, the letters “EC” by a product name stand for “emulsifiable concentrate,” which means that the product is an oil-based liquid that you mix with water prior to spraying on the target site. The letters “WP” on a label stand for “wettable powder,” which is a powder that you suspend in water prior to spraying. Products labeled as granules, dusts or pellets are designed to be applied in dry form to the treatment site. Many homeowner and some farm formulations today are also being marketed as “RTU” products, which stands for “ready to use.” RTU products are ready to apply to the target site with no additional mixing or preparation needed. RTU products are often the easiest for a consumer to use but may cost more to purchase because you are paying for the convenience of the item.
Under the brand name you will find a list of the active ingredients (those that have an effect on the target pest) by percentage in the product, as well as the total percentage of inert ingredients (ingredients that are placed in the product to assist the active ingredient in its effectiveness or to help maintain the product during storage). Active ingredients will also have a listing of their common name as well as a detailed listing of their chemical name which is derived from its chemical composition.
The signal words on the pesticide label — “Caution,” “Warning” and “Danger” — tell about the toxicity of the product. The signal word that is placed upon a pesticide label is a result of the risks associated with oral, dermal, eye or inhalation contact with the product. Products that contain the signal word “Caution” are slightly toxic. Products with the “Warning” signal word are moderately toxic. Products with the signal word “Danger” are highly toxic. The most toxic of the “Danger” labeled products will also contain a skull and crossbones symbol on the label.
The directions for use section tells you the specific sites where you can legally apply the product, how to apply the product, and the specific pests the product is labeled to control. This section also gives you the legal range for the amount of product that you can use in a given area. For example, pasture herbicides often list a range of product amounts to use per acre, which is typically based on the plant species you are trying to control and the stage of growth those plants are undergoing. This section may also give you a maximum number of applications or maximum amount of product per given unit of area that you can legally apply in a growing season or one year time period.
Two more important parts of the label are the post-harvest interval, which tells you specifically how long you must wait between applying the product to a site before you can harvest a crop again, and the re-entry interval, which tells you how long you must stay out of a sprayed area without wearing the required protective clothing.
Next week we will finish this topic with a discussion on personal protective equipment, chemical storage, and a few other items to consider when using pesticides.
Brian Triplett is the Smith County Extension agent for agriculture and natural resources. He can be reached at 903-590-2980 or via e-mail at b-triplett@tamu.edu or on the Web at http://tceblogs.tamu.edu/mt/smith or http://smith-tx.tamu.edu.
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