Protective Clothing
for Pesticide Users
—>'*w*r
Minnesota
Extension Service
University of
Minnesota
National Agricultural
EPA LIBRARY SERVICES RTP NC
EPA-AG-MI-3236
TECHNICAL DOCUMENT COLLECTION
Service
ent of Agriculture
Environmental Protection Agency
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Protective
Clothing for
Pesticide
Users
Pesticides can be beneficial tools.
They help control pests — such as
weeds, insects, and plant diseases —
which transmit disease, destroy crops,
or cause damage to property. They
allow high-quality food and fiber crops
to be grown at a lower cost to
consumers. Like many other chemicals,
though, pesticides can be hazardous if
not used safely.
Most pesticide accidents happen
when users are careless or when they do
not know how to handle pesticides
safely. The time you spend to learn
about the safe use of pesticides is an
investment in the health and safety of
yourself, your family, and others.
This guide deals mainly with
pesticides which are highly to
moderately toxic when they enter the
body through the mouth, lungs, skin, or
eyes. You can recognize these pesticides
by the "signal words" DANGER or
WARNING on their labels.
In this guide, you can learn about:
• the potential hazards of pesticides,
and
• the kinds of clothing and equipment
you should wear to protect yourself.
It also will tell you:
• how the type of pesticide formulation
affects your chances for exposure, and
• how to clean, maintain, and store
your personal protective equipment.
Know the
Hazards
To use any pesticide safely, you must
know the hazards involved and how to
protect yourself. Remember this basic
rule: By lowering your exposure to the
pesticide, you can Jower the risk to your
safety and health.
Read the label CAREFULLY. One
section of the label will tell you of any
fire, explosion, or chemical hazards of
the product. Knowledge that the
chemical is highly flammable or
corrosive will allow you to avoid these
hazards.
The label also tells about the toxicity
of the product. The level of toxicity is a
measure of how poisonous a chemical
substance is to humans.
Pesticides can enter the body in three
ways:
• through the mouth (orally),
• through the skin and eyes (dermally),
• through the lungs (by inhalation).
First, you need to know how toxic the
product is. Look at the "signal word"
(DANGER, WARNING, or CAUTION) to
find out.
Next, you must find out how the
pesticide can enter your body. Look
under the boldface heading "Hazards to
Humans". The statements in this section
indicate which part or parts of the body
should be protected from exposure to
the pesticide. For example: "Fatal if
swallowed or absorbed through the skin.
Do not get on skin."
Use Personal
Protective Equipment
Simply understanding the hazard of the
pesticide you are using is not enough.
To keep yourself safe, you also must be
sure to properly use all the
recommended protective equipment.
Pesticide absorption through the skin
is the most common cause of poisoning
during mixing, loading, application, and
equipment maintenance. You can keep
skin exposure to a minimum by wearing
— over your normal work clothes — a
long-sleeved protective suit, such as
coveralls. It should cover your entire
body except feet, hands, and head. If
there is a chance that the coveralls may
become wet from mist, spray, splashes,
or spills, use a rubber apron or other
outer garment that is resistant to
chemicals.
Natural or synthetic rubber, vinyl, or
plastic gloves are a very important way
to keep pesticides away from your skin.
Wearing gloves should be a standard
practice when handling pesticides.
Replace protective gloves often, even
though they may not seem worn or
contaminated. Never use leather, paper,
or fabric gloves when working with
pesticides. These materials easily absorb
and hold liquids and dusts, and can
become a serious source of exposure.
Disposable gloves are appropriate if they
can resist chemical penetration and are
sturdy enough to resist puncturing or
tearing during the period of use.
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Wear chemical-resistant boots or
footwear during most mixing, loading,
and application jobs. Never wear leather
or canvas shoes.
It is also important to protect your
eyes from pesticides. Use a face shield
or goggles when you are using
pressurized equipment or liquid
concentrates; where there is a chance
for mists, dusts, or splashes; and when
the label tells you to prevent eye
exposure.
Breathing the pesticide into your
lungs (inhalation exposure) may be a
problem where dusts, fine spray mists,
smoke, fog, or vapors are generated.
Since an inhaled pesticide is rapidly
and almost completely absorbed by the
body, you must protect yourself from'
this kind of exposure.
You should consider wearing a
respirator during mixing and loading or
during long periods of exposure to
highly toxic pesticides which create fine
dusts or mists. Sometimes the label lists
a specific type of respirator to use.
Often, however, the label merely
requires a respirator approved for
pesticide use by the National Institute
for Occupational Safety and Health
(NIOSH) and the Mine Safety and
Health Administration (MSHA). To
choose the right respirator, you must
seek advice from your county Extension
agent, pesticide dealer, or other experts.
The two most common types of
air-purifying respirators are 1)
mechanical filter respirators and 2)
chemical cartridges or canisters. You
should understand the differences
between them:
• Mechanical filter respirators provide
protection only against dusts.
• Chemical cartridge or canister
respirators provide protection only
against gases and vapors.
In addition, you can get a
combination respirator which will
protect you against both dusts and
gases.
Know How
To Care for Your
Protective Equipment
Your protective clothing and equipment
can become contaminated:
• during normal handling and
application of concentrated or dilute
pesticides, or
• because of an accident.
Unless you remove the contaminated
items promptly, they can cause you to
absorb pesticides through your skin.
Have clean protective clothing and
equipment on hand at all times to
replace contaminated clothing.
To keep your protective clothing and
equipment working well, clean it
thoroughly. Never allow children or
pets to come into contact with
contaminated clothing or equipment.
Here are some general guidelines for
cleaning:
Respirators — Discard cartridges,
canisters, and filter pads when
breathing becomes difficult, when you
notice a pesticide odor, or at the time
interval specified by the manufacturer.
Write the date on the cartridge when it
is first used. Wash the face piece in
detergent and water, rinse it thoroughly,
and dry it in a well-ventilated area.
Never use alcohol or other solvents for
cleaning — they will damage rubber and
plastic.
Rubber, vinyl, or plastic boots and
gloves — To avoid getting pesticide on
your hands, wash the outside of boots
and gloves with detergent and water
before removing them. After you take
them off, wash them inside and out
with detergent and water, rinse
thoroughly, and dry in a well-ventilated
area.
Chemical-resistant clothing, goggles,
and face masks — Wash plastic or
rubber clothing and equipment with
detergent and water, rinse thoroughly,
and dry in a well-ventilated area.
Fabric clothing — If fabric clothing is
saturated with a concentrated highly
toxic pesticide, it must be discarded.
Remove the clothing carefully and
immediately place it in a plastic trash
bag. Close the bag tightly and dispose of
it along with your empty pesticide
containers. Wear rubber, vinyl, or
plastic gloves when handling severely
contaminated clothing.
Launder normally contaminated
clothes at the end of the work day,
following these guidelines:
• Wash contaminated clothing
separately from the family clothing.
• Prerinse clothing outdoors by
spraying or hosing it; or presoak it in a
suitable container such as a large bucket
or tub; or use the prewash cycle of an
automatic washer, with detergent.
• Wash clothes using hot water, the
highest water level, and a regular or
super wash cycle. Use heavy-duty
detergents; for EC and other oil-based
formulations, use a heavy-duty liquid
detergent. Wash only a few
contaminated garments at a time.
• Wash contaminated garments at least
twice; then thoroughly rinse the washer
by running through another entire cycle
using detergent.
• Line dry to avoid a buildup of
pesticide residues in the dryer.
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Washup During Use
Wash hands and face before
eating, drinking, toileting, or
using tobacco.
Avoid touching face or other
bare skin with contaminated
gloves or clothing.
Washup After Use
Immediately remove
clothing and take a
shower in case of
excessive
contamination.
Shower at the end of
the day before
changing into clean
clothes.
Wash body and hair
thoroughly with soap
and water.
Toxicity
Signal Words
DANGER
WARNING
Highly
Toxic
CAUTION
§ Moderately
£ Toxic
Low
Toxicity
If the pesticide is highly toxic
orally, dermally, or through
inhalation, the signal word
"DANGER" in large boldface
letters will be on the front of
the pesticide label. If the
pesticide is moderately toxic
orally, dermally, or through
inhalation, the signal word
"WARNING" will be used.
The labels of slightly toxic
pesticides will bear the signal
word "CAUTION".
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Formulations
Granules
Generally low exposure
No wetting spray
Little dust
0*0
WP
Wettable Powders
All routes of exposure
can be high during
mixing due to high
percentage of active
ingredient
Dusts
Exposure can be high
through inhalation and
dermal contact
Flowables
Dermal exposure to
mixer/loader and
applicator may be high
Emulsifiable
Concentrates
Exposure dermally may
be high during
mixing/loading/
application.
Absorption is enhanced
by solvents which easily
penetrate the skin.
Any formulation applied as a spray
may cause a dermal exposure.
Hazards to Humans
Precautionary
Statements
Look on the pesticide label under the
boldface heading "Hazards to Humans."
The statements in this section indicate
which part or parts of the body should
be protected.
"May be fatal
if absorbed
through skin.
Do not get in
eyes, on skin,
or on
clothing."
"May be fatal if
inhaled. Do not
breathe dust, vapor,
or spray mist."
"Corrosive: causes
irreversible eye
damage."
"Causes skin
irritation."
or
"Causes burns.
Do not get on
skin or on
clothing."
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Handling Concentrates
This is the minimum
protective clothing and
equipment you should
wear while mixing and
loading pesticides which
are moderately to highly
toxic.
Protective suit (such as
fabric coveralls) worn
over normal work
clothes
Chemical-resistant apron
Chemical-resistant gloves
such as rubber, vinyl,
or plastic
(Never use fabric, leather
or paper gloves)
Chemical-resistant boots
or footwear
(Never wear leather or
canvas footwear)
Face shield or goggles
Respirator (If the label
requires it)
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Dilute Pesticides
You need to decide! Read the label. The formulation, signal word, precautionary
statements, personal protective equipment statements, the application method, and
the projected length of exposure indicate the personal protective equipment you
need.
Minimum Exposure
(Such as granular
applications and many
other routine pesticide
activities)
Protective suit (such as
fabric coveralls) worn
over normal work
clothes
Chemical-resistant gloves
such as rubber, vinyl,
or plastic
(Never use fabric, leather,
or paper gloves)
Socks and shoes or boots
Maximum Exposure
(Such as direct contact
with drenching spray,
mist blower or knapsack
applications, or handling
very highly toxic
pesticides)
Chemical-resistant hood
or hat
Goggles or face shield
Respirator (If the label
requires it or if dusts,
mists, fogs, or vapors will
be generated)
Chemical-resistant
protective suit worn
over normal work clothes
(A chemical-resistant
protective suit may cause
heat stress under some
conditions)
Chemical-resistant gloves
such as rubber, vinyl,
or plastic
(Never use fabric, leather,
or paper gloves)
Chemical-resistant boots
or footwear
(Never wear leather or
canvas footwear)
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