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porterville,california usa

Tremor, i like that. it has a nice ring to it. any chance of getting royalties or some type of compensation for letting them use my name.LOL. with my luck i`ll probably have to end up dead first. since i consider you to be our resident ag chemical expert,( and a fine one at that),i thought i would lend some credence to what i hear you saying,(not often enough),about pesticide and herbicides label warnings. my little story on the other thread had a bit of truth in it . a lot of bs and a touch of exaggeration,(i really didn`t die). i was spraying a herbicide and got some on me and didn`t wash it off right away. then i used malathion 50 and isotox and the same thing happened again. before i got a chance to clean up i forgot about it . the next day i woke to the worst case of the "flu" i`d ever had. for 8 days i couldn`t get out of bed without falling over. i felt like i was surely gonna die. i`m the kind who goes to work regardless of how bad i feel, but it`s kind of hard to draw blueprints or design a structure when you keep falling off the chair. all this time i thought i had the flu. then i remembered the week before and the spraying incidents. i got out the old med school books and realized i had the classic symptoms of pesticide exposure. many times i`ve been contaminated in the past without ill effects of any kind.with the new season almost here, i know we will all be getting out the chemicals, and righly so. just remember to take 5 minutes to re-read those labels. even after 30 years of using them i didn`t know or (remember)everything about them. thanks for sharing your knowledge on this subject Tremor. it really helps. ...........booth

5/11/2003 4:17:55 AM

Western Pa.

Geez,

I've been spraying pesticides for years, and it hasn't affected me, affected me, affected me, affected me!

But seriously folks, we can ALL learn a lesson here. I wholeheartedly suggest, that anyone serious about growing AGs, should try to obtain a private pesticide certification. Learn more about what you are using. If nothing else, follow the labels. I've got a question for everyone:, how do you take off your rubber gloves after spraying? (Think about it). By washing your hands while gloves are still on, you will be washing away a lot of danger! I know of an old man who repeatedly exposed himself to pesticides, the last straw was after he spilled some on his car seat, and just wiped it up. Every time he went for a ride, re-exposure! He is really screwed up, mentally and physically and is just barely alive. Time for a reality check! Booth, I hope you're feeling better!

kilr

5/11/2003 11:06:21 AM

[email protected]

booth's law.....Does have a ring to it.

Pesticide safety is a serious matter. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) may sound like something reserved for professionals but that's only because we do it every day. Serious hobbyists are at times at even greater risk. I once watched a moron dust his entire young family with Sevin dust as they ate dinner on their deck. When I mentioned from my friends deck next door that he should cool his jets with the young ones out & about, the jerk told me to mind my own business. Fine. The moron was treating for Carpenter Ants, He used enough of the wrong stuff to treat the entire neighborhood. The Ants never missed a beat. He probably killed 50 or so workers. The Queen replaced them long before his families cholinestrase levels stabilized. And Carpenter ants don't kill trees. Though the moron was convinced by some teenager at The Home Depot that he was saving his allready dying tree.

continued

5/11/2003 5:30:46 PM

[email protected]

Things we should do every time:

-Read the entire label.
-Unlined chemical resistant gloves (Nitrile is best, not some lousy supermarket dishwashing gloves)
-Safety glasses with side shields or better yet Goggles.
-Respirator for those of us who use Wettable Powders.
-Real deal dedicated measuring devices. Labeled properly!
-Store chemicals & measuring cups in a locked & ventilated steel cabinet in an area detached from the living area.
-Read the Label again.
-Dedicated pumpkin (gardening) clothes. Stored & washed seperate from the family lawndry.
-No smoking or eating while mixing/spraying. This speaks to the need for an outdoor wash down sink or other makeshift affair with soap. I like to down a cold one while in the garden too you know!
-Keep pesticides in their original container, If they must be put into a different container, relable it accurately & completely.
-Read the Label.
-Don't over buy. 1-2 seasons is good. After that, some containers start to fail. So do some active ingredients.
-Work, mix, etc in a clean well lit area.
-Try to plan sprays for those times when non target organisms will be least affected. This includes Bee's, Children, Pets, etc. I like Sunday afternoon late after the boy gets in the tub but before dark.
-Triple rinse measuring cups back into the sprayer before topping off.

continued

5/11/2003 5:31:24 PM

[email protected]

-ReRead The Freakin' Label
-Use cheat sheet charts with frequently used rates that are laminated in plastic onto your clipboard. That's the thing we keep our spray records on. We do keep spray records right? Kine is hanging next to the Solo Backpack sprayer.
-Clean sprayers with clear water after every use. They'll work better. Try to fix one that's full!
-Always use herbicides in a sprayer that is solely dedictated to this cause only.
-Pay heed to proper disposal of empty containers. Triple rinse bottles. Place empty bags directly into a plastic garbage bag & then tie it shut & place into a covered garbage can.
-If spraying is likely to cause drift then plan ahead. Wetting down furniture with the garden hose before & after spraying helps. Waiting for the wind to die down does too.
-Don't use hose end sprayers on the same hose the kids & wife might use.
-A dedicated sill cock with a built in back flow preventer is a small investment for a handyman. I have 2.
-Read the label
-Don't talk & spray at the same time. Ask others to leave the area or just stop when they approach.
-Sweep granular materials off non target areas as soon as your finished applying. This drives me nut since I live on Long Island Sound & all our storm drains go directly there.

continued

5/11/2003 5:45:48 PM

[email protected]

-Read the Label again!
-Use spreader stickers to make product water fast. Some allow better performance at lower rates. Save chemical & money.
-Cotton shoes & sneakers are for tennis & lounging. Spray only in rubber.
-Long sleeved shirts & pants are required by some labels. Good idea!
-Don't spray or dust before a rain.
-If you must use those silly dusts, then look in the direction of the wind. Anyone over there? Your back to the wind. I hate dusts.
-Read the label

Buy from dedicated professionals who actually know what they're talikg about. How unlicensed sales kids can legally sell pesticides disturbs me. But that's how it is.

Don't start spraying every time you see a bug. Capture the bugger & have it identified by a trained/degreed professional. Learn about the pest's life cycle. Spraying an insect at a non-succeptable life stage means you'll either fail at controlling it entirely or you'll need to expose yourself & your plants to the risk of damage again at a later date. So know thy enemy well!

Did I mention we should read the label?

I'll think of more later. I need a beer now.

Steve

5/11/2003 5:46:32 PM

[email protected]

OK I'm posting something related to this thread over on the Pest board. That's probably the best place for it.

Steve

5/11/2003 6:29:06 PM

North Ga

Heck!! That's too much trouble!!! I think I'll raise lint in my navel!! LOL!!!

5/11/2003 6:48:12 PM

North Ga

In all seriousness though. Very good advive from someone in the know. All you young AG growers take heed! Make sure you will be planting them 100 yrs. down the road. Now Steve, what about us that have 3 eyes, an extra nipple and sores all over our bodies from exposure to this stuff?

5/11/2003 7:39:57 PM

[email protected]

There's no hope for us Brian. Our loss.
Seriously, I had only one serious issue in all these years. Trichlorfon 6.2%G. Most commonly known as Dylox. Used to kill Grubs in lawns. Dust from empty bags was floating all around the inside of a Chevy van. It was August 1988 & I took a part time summer helper (Capmbell Soup print advertising model & student) out one day in the rain to treat residential lawns in Waterbury CT. We did 40 lawns before I realized I was freezing, but sweating bullets. I looked at the kid. His pupils looked like "8" balls. He was sweating too & shaking. The dust on the dashboard told the tale. I screamed into a Howard Johnsons restaurant parking lot. Threw open the doors & ripped all the bags open & turned them inside out in the rain. Left the van windows open & ran inside the kitchen. I knew the cook. We practically bathed in the deep stainless steel pot & pan sink. That kid checked himself into Waterbury General Hosp. That afternoon. He never did come back to work for us. Had the loose poops for a week. I worked the next day same as ever, but brought along a roll of TP. LOL What a head ache too. Never again.

Steve

5/11/2003 8:31:28 PM

Puyallup, WA

Steve...You're lucky that you were not sued!! That could have been "real ugly"!

5/11/2003 11:51:51 PM

porterville,california usa

thanks Steve. i`m going to print out your advice and pin it up on the door of my pesticide shed. like i said earlier, i`ve been using chemicals since i was a kid driving big spray rigs in the orange groves 30 years ago. back then nobody knew or cared about the dangers. i don`t know why it decided to hit me like it did this time, but i`ll guarantee you it will never get the chance to do it again. now, i feel fine. i`ll feel even better when I can bend over or pick up something over 5lbs without having to do the fancy-2-step to the outhouse. my employees are having a hayday betting on if i can make it to the john or not each time. i have so much herbicide in me that i get even with them by writing my name in their front yard grass. i can`t say i got to the third eye or nipple stage yet but i must have grown a second tongue cause my wife says i`m always talking out my ass! heee haaaw

5/12/2003 3:00:44 AM