Pesticide Technology to Reduce Risk (Liability)

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Pesticide Technology to Reduce Risk (Liability)
Modified by Georgia Agricultural Education
Curriculum Office
July, 2002

• Mike Weaver, Coordinator
• Pesticide Programs
• Department of Entomology
• Virginia Tech
• Blacksburg, Virginia

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Factors That Increase Risk

• Toxicity
• chemicals
• physical conditions
• human health factors
• Exposure (handler)
• mixing/loading
• application
• cleanup
• storage/transport
• disposal

• Exposure (workers/public)
• entering treated areas
• movement off site
• transport
• mix/load/storage sites
• disposal
• spills
• exposure to treated crops

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Areas Where Growers Can Reduce Their Risks

• Toxicity
• less toxic pesticides
• non-chemical alternatives
• rate, dilution, formulation
• Exposure (handler)
• use PPE
• use of advanced packaging systems
• implement advanced handling systems

• Exposure (workers/public)
• control access
• control runoff/leaching/drift
• change transportation factors
• mix/load/storage sites BMPs
• minimize waste
• be prepared to handle spills
• avoid harvesting

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Todays Topics

• Disposal and waste minimization
• Advanced handling technology
• systems to reduce exposure, drift, waste
• Discussion of registered products based on
• toxicity
• reduced risk formulations and packaging
• alternatives
• Choosing personal protective equipment (PPE)

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Disposal Basics

• Avoid excess stored inventories
• Minimize excess pesticides and rinsates
• Avoid the need to dispose of pesticide containers
  as wastes

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Disposal Methods

• Storage
• Reuse
• Remediation
• Recycling
• Burial
• Incineration

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Excess Pesticides

• Buy only what you need for one season
• Calculate dilutions carefully
• Use all mixed pesticide as labeled
• Apply excess mix as labeled on site
• cant exceed rate and frequency
• comply with application directions
• Return or give away excess products
• Add rinsates to tank

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Pesticide Wastes

• Excess pesticides and rinsates must be disposed
  of as wastes
• Sanitary landfills will take rinsed containers
  only
• Store wastes
• under RCRA guidelines
• small hazardous waste generator
• 2.2lbs. (acute) / 2,300 lbs/month
• farmer exemptions
• Have wastes hauled
• commercial haulers

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Containers

• Use refillable or returnable containers
• Recycle or recondition containers
• Use soluble packaging

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Container Design

• Redesigned to reduce spills and enhance handling
• no-glug openings
• reduced weight
• impact resistant
• measure and pour spouts
• closed systems
• elimination of traditional containers

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Container Contents

• Low rate technology
• ounces/acre
• smaller containers
• Reduced risk pesticides
• lower toxicity
• more flexible handling
• reduce number of containers
• may eliminate some products as hazardous waste

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Returnable/Refillable Paks

• Mini-bulks and small volume returnables
• ag. and specialty
• 15-110 gallon
• Novartis
• FarmPak/TurfPak
• Aqumix
• 15 gallon
• dilute or concentrate
• closed systems
• rights-of-way industry

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Recyclable and Reconditionable Containers

• Must be properly rinsed
• metal
• plastic
• chipped and recycled
• Drums
• 30 and 55 gallon
• return to dealer
• reconditioning
• reuse

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Soluble Containers

• Vinyl-alcohol water soluble films
• Water soluble paks
• Gel paks
• Effervescent tablets
• Biodegradable containers
• Bag-in-bag
• Impregnated fabrics and plastics

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Water Soluble Paks

• Reduced packaging
• paper outer shell
• non-hazardous waste
• Water soluble pouch
• polyvinyl alcohol
• Dry formulations
• water dispersible granules (WDG)
• wettable or soluble powders (WP or SP)

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Gel Paks

• Reduced packaging
• water soluble pouch
• supports mixtures
• non-hazardous waste
• Liquid formulation
• gel
• sensitive to impact
• water soluble
• self-sealing

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Effervescent Tablets

• Scored tablets
• cut dosages
• Dissolve in mix water
• Prescribed amounts
• no mixing and loading of concentrates

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Impregnated Fabrics/Plastics

• Contained in pockets on plastic or synthetic
  landscape fabric
• Used as mulches to inhibit weed growth
• Slow release from pockets

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Handling Rinsates and Reducing Wastes

• Triple rinsing (10-30-3)
• Probes and Jets
• jet rinsers
• siphon/rinse probes
• tank rinsers
• container rinsers
• Closed systems
• Injection systems
• Portable sumps

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Jet Rinsers

• Accepted alternative to triple rinsing
• Inexpensive
• Very efficient
• speeds up rinsing
• saves chemical
• saves time
• saves money

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Probes

• Siphon/rinse probes
• closed system (part)
• measure concentrates
• eliminate mix/load process
• reduce chance of waste and spills

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Tank and Container Rinsers

• Tank rinsers
• internal to tank
• more efficient
• saves time and cleans more efficiently
• Container rinsers
• designed to rinse larger containers
• does not puncture container

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Closed Systems

• Eliminate manual mixing/loading process
• Reduce exposure to concentrates
• Reduce waste of concentrates
• Reduce spill potential

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Closed Systems - Small Systems and Backpack
Sprayers

• Nomix/Monsanto Expedite System
• pre-packaged product (no mixing or handling)
• self-sealing, no waste, refillable containers
• five different herbicides

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Closed Systems - Small Systems and Backpack
Sprayers

• Nomix/Monsanto Expedite System
• backpack sprayer
• reduced drift
• nozzles
• chemistry

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Systems to Reduce Drift

• Low drift nozzles
• Spray shields
• Low boom height
• Proper use
• low wind speeds
• low pressures
• selection of formulations with low drift potential

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Injection Systems

• Closed system
• Computer-controlled mixing and calibration
• No large tank of diluted chemical
• in-line mixing
• Tank mixes
• Eliminates waste and saves time

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Portable Sumps

• Decontamination sites
• Up to 33 linear feet of work area and 1,465
  gallon sumps
• Eliminate spills and runoff from load/fill sites
• Comply with existing and future disposal
  regulations

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Summary - Affecting Exposure

• Reduced risk handling systems
• formulations and packaging eliminate handling
  concentrates and mixing
• containers reduce spills and accidents
• closed systems and computer controlled systems
  reduce fatigue and mistakes
• Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
• still the best way to reduce exposure

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Summary - Affecting Toxicity

• Reduced risk pesticide products
• low toxicity compounds
• new registrations (many post 1993)
• most biologicals and low rate products
• formulations and packaging

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Virginia Registered Products

• Products registered specifically in Virginia
• not all inclusive
• does not imply other products are illegal
• notice low risk products in list
• WSP, WSB, Dry-Pak, ChemPaks,
• G, RTU, WDG
• IGR, phermones, milky spore, B.t.