Wendy
Wintersteen
Iowa State University Extension
A
young boy was searching for clothing and other items at an
outdoor collection bin used by a local charity. While looking
through a bag of odds and ends, he found some small white
tablets that looked like candy. He put them in his pocket
and later, at home, he took out the tablets and began to chew
on them. They weren't very good so he didn't eat much but,
within hours, his parents found him slumped over and unconscious.
They rushed him to the hospital where he fell into a coma
and died the next day. Doctors identified the mysterious tablets:
they were tablets of the pesticide Lindane.
The
importance of proper pesticide disposal is illustrated by
this tragic but true story of a young Iowa boy. Improper pesticide
disposal can lead to the death of humans or animals. It also
may lead to irreversible environmental harm.
Since
pesticides are toxic, every household or farm pesticide must
be disposed of with caution and concern for others, particularly
small children. Half of the pesticide-related deaths each
year in the United States involve children under the age of
10. Improper disposal or storage is the main factor.
Small
quantities of pesticides also have been detected in some groundwater
samples in Iowa. The contamination often can be traced to
one source where illegal or improper disposal occurred. Unfortunately,
it only takes one ounce of pesticide to contaminate 7,800
gallons of groundwater to a potentially dangerous level of
one part per million.
Safe
pesticide disposal is of vital importance to you, your family,
the community, and the environment. Whenever you have excess
or unwanted pesticides, please take the extra time to dispose
of them properly.
Always
store pesticides in a locked storage area to keep out animals,
vandals, or children. In addition, pesticides should never be
stored near animal feed, which could become contaminated by
vapors or be accidentally mixed with the pesticide.
Always
keep pesticides in their original, labeled container.
The label has important information on the legal uses for
the product, and other matters like first aid. A pesticide
should never be stored in an unlabeled bottle or jug. A child
may see the bottle and think it contains soda pop, and become
poisoned.
Never
keep pesticides that have been banned, such as DDT, chlordane,
or Silvex. A person who uses banned pesticides is breaking
federal and state laws, and is endangering his or her own
health and the environment.
Some
pesticides may have been stored so long or in hot or cold
conditions that the applicator is afraid to use them. The
concern is justified, since lengthy or poor storage may alter
the chemical efficacy of the pesticide with unknown results.
Avoid this by only ordering enough pesticide for the current
season.
If you
have banned, unlabeled, or unwanted pesticides, properly store
them until you can take them to the next Toxic Cleanup Day
in your area. All pesticides collected during Toxic Cleanup
Days are disposed of by professionals. For information on
these activities, contact the Department of Natural Resources
or your Extension office. In the meantime, be sure that your
unwanted pesticides are stored in watertight containers that
can withstand excess heat, cold, or moisture.
Occasionally,
even the best farm manager will end up with 10 or 15 gallons
of leftover pesticide spray. If you are applying pesticides
at less than the labeled rate, you might want to go over the
field until the tank is empty. You also can apply the product
on another similar field.
The
worst scenario is to dump gallons of excess or unwanted pesticide
solution on the ground. Although the soil and weather normally
degrade most pesticide sprays, dumping large amounts of pesticide
overloads nature's ability to break down the chemicals. In
fact, some pesticides may leach through the soil and contaminate
the groundwater. Certain areas are particularly vulnerable.
Pesticide dumping is illegal and unethical.
Practice
caution when using granular pesticides, too. There are numerous
examples of farm children or animals tasting small piles of
granules left in the field or shed and becoming poisoned.
No matter how they are made, all pesticides should be disposed
with care.
When
mixing pesticides, applicators should always triple rinse or
pressure rinse empty pesticide containers immediately, and pour
the rinse water into the spray tank. By rinsing at this time,
pesticide concentrate will not dry on the container and become
difficult to clean. The spray tank also acts as the perfect
disposal site for rinse water.
Some
landfills in Iowa accept for recycling empty pesticide containers
that are rinsed and clean. The pesticide label also contains
information on proper container disposal.
Never
use an empty pesticide container for other purposes. Even
though it may seem clean, small amounts of residue may remain
in the container. Transporting water or feed in a pesticide
container could have disastrous results.
Federal
and state laws govern pesticide disposal. In most situations,
the pesticide label gives the applicator sufficient information
on methods to legally dispose of small quantities. The label
is the law.
Legal
disposal of large amounts of pesticides may be complicated.
Contact the Department of Natural Resources or the regional
Environmental Protection Agency office for how to dispose
large amounts of hazardous waste.
How
Much Do You Know?
Test your knowledge with this quick quiz.
- Of
the pesticide deaths in the United States, what percentage
occur to children under age 10?
- about
25 percent
- about
50 percent
- about
75 percent
- If
one ounce of pesticide entered the groundwater, how many
gallons would be contaminated to 1 part per million?
- 1,200
gallons
- 1,500
gallons
- 7,800
gallons
- Banned
pesticides can be used if the container is still labeled.
True or false?
- Pesticides
should be stored
- in
locked storage areas.
- away
from livestock feed.
- in
empty jars or pop bottles.
- a
and b are correct
See
answers at the end of "What Can You Do?".
What
Can You Do?
Safe pesticide
disposal is vitally important for you, your family, the community,
and the environment. Always follow these rules when storing
or disposing of pesticides.
- Collect
banned, unlabeled, or unwanted pesticides and take them
to the next Toxic Cleanup Day activity in your area.
- Triple
rinse pesticide containers as you empty them, pouring rinse
water into the spray tank.
- Never
dump pesticides in a field, ravine, or stream.
- Keep
pesticides in original containers in locked storage area.
- Mix
pesticides with care.
Answers
to quiz:
1-b;
2-c; 3-False; 4-d
For
more information on proper pesticide disposal, contact the Iowa
Department of Natural Resources or get these publication from
your Extension office:
- 1991
Private Pesticide Applicator Study Guide, PAT-1.
- Pesticide
spills: Are You Ready or Not? Pm-1444.
- Rinsing
and Recycling Pesticide Containers, PAT-1442.
- Toxic
Cleanup Day Community Planning Guide, Pm-1364.
Disclaimer
and Reproduction Information: Information in NASD does not
represent NIOSH policy. Information included in NASD appears
by permission of the author and/or copyright holder. More
NASD Review: 04/2002
This
document is Fact Sheet
Pm-1265e
,
a series of the Safe Farm Program, Iowa State University Extension,
Ames, Iowa. Safe Farm promotes health and safety in agriculture.
It is funded by the National Institute for Occupational Safety
and Health, Iowa State University, and a network of groups
that serve Iowa farm workers and their families. Publication
date: May 1992.
Wendy
Wintersteen, Extension entomology specialist; edited by Laura
Miller, Extension Communications, Iowa State University Extension,
Ames, Iowa.
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