Gardening

What Did You Do With The Clothing You Wore While Applying Pesticides?

by Dr. William M. Johnson, Galveston County Extension Agent - Horticulture

March 15, 2006

Wearing rubber gloves when handling, mixing or spraying pesticides should be standard practice. Photo Credit: William M. Johnson

The use–or to be more precise, the necessity–of pesticides is sometimes a hotly debated subject. They are used by many homeowners quite often and in a variety of ways.

Nationally, we spend several billion dollars annually on lawn-care products alone. About 40% of residential lawns are treated with pesticides, with homeowners often applying pesticides at a rate that is three to six times more per acre than farmers do.

While several billion dollars are spent on lawns, a sizable amount is also spent on a variety of pesticides to control pests such as insects, weeds, and plant diseases which harm vegetables, fruit trees, landscape plants, etc. But, like other chemicals, pesticides can be hazardous if not used safely.

Regardless of how you feel about the subject, if you apply them then read the rest of this article to improve or enlighten your safe use of these chemicals.

How do you handle pesticides safely?

To prevent accidents and injury, read labels and follow them carefully. Home gardeners should pay close attention to the directions provided with the pesticide label for the proper kinds of clothing and equipment to wear. Upset stomachs, diarrhea, respiratory problems, loss of vision, and many other serious illnesses can result from improper handling and applications of pesticides.

Pesticides enter the body through the mouth, skin, eyes and lungs. The pesticide label will tell you about the human hazards associated with the particular pesticide you select. For most garden applications, the greatest hazards are for skin exposure. Gardeners should wear long-sleeved shirts and trousers, gloves and a head covering to shield the skin from exposure to pesticides.

Wearing gloves when handling pesticides should be standard practice. Rubber gloves are very important. However, damaged gloves could be more dangerous than using no gloves at all, because they may be wet with pesticides on the inside.

Rubber gloves must also be worn during the mixing and application of concentrated pesticides. If 2006 is to an average year, I can expect to receive a half-dozen calls from anxious homeowners who accidentally spilled a liquid pesticide on their hands during the handling and mixing process.

Many people are surprised to learn that leather should never be worn when applying pesticides. This includes hat bands as well as shoes, gloves, and belts. (I assume no one dresses up in leather pants and shirts to spray pesticides, especially in the summer.)

It is difficult to next-to-impossible to decontaminate leather. Paper and fabric gloves also absorb pesticides and should not be worn. Disposable gloves are appropriate if they can resist chemical penetration. Canvas or leather shoes absorb pesticides also; chemical resistant boots or footwear should be worn.

What do you do after you finish applying a pesticide and you have cleaned your equipment?

Don't go in the living room and sit down in that comfortable chair. Good personal hygiene is an extremely important factor in preventing pesticides from being absorbed into the skin. Unusual as it may sound, take a shower and shampoo your hair after applying pesticides, especially when it is hot and you are likely to have sweated a bit in the process (the presence of perspiration can enhance the absorption of pesticides through the skin).

What do you do with the clothes that you wore while applying pesticides?

Don't just throw them in with the rest of the family laundry. The following are instructions for laundering the clothing worn while applying pesticides to reduce the risks of constantly re-exposing yourself to the chemicals.

LAUNDER SEPARATELY FROM OTHER CLOTHING

Pesticide residues will transfer from contaminated clothing to "clean" clothing.

USE HOT WATER

The hotter the water, the better (at least 140 EF). Cold water can be used for rinse cycles.

INCREASE THE AMOUNT OF DETERGENT USED

Use 1 1/4 times the amount recommended on the package. If the instructions call for one cup of detergent, use 1 1/4 cups when laundering clothing worn while applying pesticides.

USE FULL TUB OF WATER AND THE FULL WASH CYCLE

Using an ample amount of water enhances the removal of chemical residues. To get the best results from the mechanical action of agitation, don't overload the machine.

USE FABRIC STARCH

Pesticide residues cling to the starch and are easily removed when the starch is washed away.

WHERE AVAILABLE, LINE DRYING IS RECOMMENDED

A backyard clothesline is indeed a rarity these days, but if you have one, definitely use it in such cases. Many pesticides break down in sunlight.

FABRIC MUST BE KEPT AS CLEAN AS POSSIBLE

Soil and other residues on clothing increase the attraction between the pesticides and the fabric and makes residue removal more difficult.

STORE PROTECTIVE CLOTHING IN "DEDICATED" CONTAINERS

Plastic "garbage" bags make good storage containers for pesticide-contaminated clothing, but do not store other soiled clothing with pesticide-contaminated clothing.

- Proper and safe use of all pesticides should always be practiced.

Dr. Johnson is a horticulturist with the Galveston County
Extension Office of Texas Cooperative Extension, Texas A&M University. Visit his web site at http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/galveston/index.htm

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