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On a recent Sunday afternoon, I visited my favorite barber shop for a haircut. I greeted the barber, a good friend, and he got to work.
We chatted for a few minutes about our lives and the state of local sports teams (Go , O’s), but suddenly, my attention was snatched away by an advertisement on TV.
The TV, reflected in the mirror, blared: “If you or a loved one have been exposed to the dangerous agricultural chemical Paraquat, you may be entitled to financial compensation.” My heart sank as my head drooped, resulting in an interesting trim line in the back.
For the curious, Paraquat dichloride salt is the active ingredient in some agricultural herbicides. Its mode of action is as a cell membrane disruptor (group 22 herbicide).
These products help producers manage a broad spectrum of weeds in many agronomic crops at both preplant and pre-emergence applications.
Paraquat, like any chemical, should be used carefully. When properly applied, it provides some of the best early-season weed control to get crops off to the best start possible.
In a litigious society, it is imperative as growers that we do our part to minimize the risks associated with restricted-use pesticides — not only for the safety of ourselves, our employees, and our environment, but also to maintain the opportunity to use these effective products.
Before applying a product containing Paraquat, we must check that our Paraquat Safety Training Certification and MDA Certified Pesticide Applicator credentials are up to date. The courses and subsequent certifications ensure that we stay educated about current best practices in handling and applying these products.
When handling these products, always follow label instructions and certification course guidelines.
When temperatures rise in spring, we must wear the necessary personal protective equipment (PPE), including long-sleeve shirts, pants, socks, closed-toed shoes, chemical-resistant nitrile gloves, approved respiratory protection, and a chemical-resistant apron and face shield.
Applicators must follow similar guidance in PPE, per label instructions. Application of products containing Paraquat must be made with the greatest care to minimize off-target movement.
We should only use labeled drift-control additives to help ensure the product meets its intended target. Paraquat-containing products should not be mixed with suspended fertilizers and should only be applied in clear solutions.
In the field, applications should be made when wind speeds and gusts are less than 10 mph. Applications on warm, dry days require additional care by selecting the appropriate nozzles for coarse droplet size.
Similarly, applications made at lower pressures minimize drift potential.
Finally, seasoned applicators know the importance of boom height and field speed — in this case, with boom height not exceeding 10 feet above the soil surface.
These are just a few guidelines operators must observe when applying Paraquat-containing products. This will ensure continued access to these effective products.
It would be a shame to lose such an opportunity from improper use.
Mark Townsend is an ag agent associate with the University of Maryland’s Frederick County Extension Office. His areas of focus are agronomy and soil health. He can be reached at 301-600-3578 or mtownsen@umd.edu
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Voluntary compliance doe not work. Period.. I have often seen applicators NOT wearing safety gear and NOT following the rules.There is no enforcement so there is usually non compliance.
It's nice to encourage farmers to comply with the regulations but the problem is the numbers of facilities subject to the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) greatly surpasses all of the federal and state regulatory agencies' ability to ensure compliance. In 2005, EPA identified 2,168,241 facilities as being subject to FIFRA and the vast majority of those facilities are farms. Many of the regulatory agencies are reluctant to take serious enforcement against farmers who violate the FIFRA regulations. The following link shows a map for just the use of Paraquat and one can see heavy usage in Maryland, including Frederick County. With universe numbers like we have, voluntary compliance is not a good tool to protect the farm workers and general public.
Keep it clean. No vulgar, racist, sexist or sexually-oriented language. Engage ideas. This forum is for the exchange of ideas, not personal attacks or ad hominem criticisms. TURN OFF CAPS LOCK. Be civil. Don't threaten. Don't lie. Don't bait. Don't degrade others. No trolling. Stay on topic. No spamming. This is not the place to sell miracle cures. No deceptive names. Apparently misleading usernames are not allowed. Say it once. No repetitive posts, please. Help us. Use the 'Report' link for abusive posts.
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