270 Pesticides are Poison
When you mix and load pesticides
Wear protective clothing
When you mix pesticides and load them into applicators,
wear eye protection, rubber gloves, and an apron, as well
as the other protective clothing you would normally wear
(see Appendix A).
IMPORTANT: Never mix pesticides with your hands.
Be careful
Open bags of pesticides with a sharp knife or scissors so
pesticide dust will not spill out. Label the knife or scissors,
wash them, and keep them for pesticide use only.
If you add water to pesticides, never put a water
hose directly into a pesticide mixture. Keep the hose
clean in case people use it for drinking or washing.
Follow the directions for measurements. Use the
amount directed on the label. Never mix, load, or clean
equipment near waterways or drinking water sources!
Keep pesticides out of your mouth
To clear out a clogged nozzle, blow through a drinking straw and then mark
the end that touches the nozzle so you do not put that end in your mouth if you
use it again. To draw pesticides out of an applicator, or to transfer pesticides
or fuels from one container to another, never start a siphon with your mouth.
And always be careful not to breathe in the poison.
Do not touch or taste pesticides or pesticide-coated seeds. Do not eat
anything from the fields until you wash it carefully.
Do not smoke, drink, or eat while mixing or applying pesticides. Leave food,
gum, and tobacco in sealed containers in areas that have not been treated
with pesticides. Tobacco and food absorb pesticides, so do not carry them
while working.
If you spill pesticides
Before you clean up a pesticide spill, protect yourself, the people nearby, and
water sources. If there are people more prepared than you to clean up a spill
(trained to do this work), call them for help. Always wear protective clothing
to clean up spills. (For information on cleaning up pesticides or other spilled
chemicals, see Appendix A.)
A Community Guide to Environmental Health 2012