This article is intended to clearly outline the standard label information required of pesticides by the EPA. It is numerically organized and concise.
Pesticides have arguably never been better suited for home use and amateur pest extermination. It is crucial to the safety of the user and his/her household to take proper precautions by reading the label with ease and comprehension. The United States Environmental Protection Agency mandates 17 key features to appear in somewhat standardized fashion on the labels of all approved pesticides.
The first key component is obviously the pesticide's name (1), which is not necessarily an indication of its contents, but rather a brand or trade name. Quite frankly, if you cannot locate the name you should not be using pesticides.
A second key component is the maker's contact information (2), simply a name and address or website, which may or may not appear near its title. The information is typically written in fine-print and will accompany two more key components, the EPA establishment number (3) and the EPA registration number (4). The EPA establishment number indicates the company and location of manufacturing origin. The EPA registration number attests to the product's legality and reflects its company and contents.
Ideally, beneath the name of the pesticide should appear its intended use (5). A product may be described, for example, as a combination pesticide-fungicide, which will profess to control such-and-such on a specific type of plant or surface.
Below the product's intentions should be found an ingredient statement (6), which reads like food or drug ingredients. It establishes which ingredients are active and inactive, as well as their relative amounts. For comparison purposes, keep in mind which products use the same active ingredients in similar proportions/concentrations. A container's net contents (7) typically appear in a corner of the label. This is a vital statistic for product comparison, as well.
On a comparison-related note, the directions for use (8) are also worthy of pre-purchase attention. Certain pesticides require more preparation than others, and surely not every gardener or "Sunday exterminator" wishes for the same degree of hands-on involvement. Instructions for storage and disposal (9) need to be considered, as well, for not every household in every climate can accommodate the same pesticides.
The last ten pesticide label considerations make plain the dangers of using pesticides, both to the self and otherwise. The simplest of these items is the child warning (10), which stresses that any pesticide should be kept out of a child's reach. Following this standard warning is precautionary information (11) for an adult, typically the product's user. These precautionary statements are organized in three explicit categories: physical or chemical hazards (12), environmental hazards (13), and hazards to humans and domestic animals (14). These are self-explanatory, identifying potential perils and ways to avoid them. A signal word (15) is essentially a summation of these hazard considerations, a one-word indication not unlike America's terror alert system. Arranged from least to most toxicity, these signal words are Caution, Warning, Danger, and Danger-Poison.
The two final label components are an offshoot of these warnings, and should be committed to memory before proceeding to use a pesticide. The statement of practical treatment (16) is worded in simple first-aid lingo and clearly delineates a course of action in case of accidental exposure. Lastly, and I sincerely hope it never matters, appears the note to physicians (17). This less than comforting information informs medical personnel of poison treatment and antidote information, and often provides a phone number for additional emergency information.
Pesticides arguably do more good than bad, but being able to effectively read one's label can do a great deal in ensuring this beneficial nature. Good luck, and never take household chemicals for granted.
