Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
e.
Cover Dry Materials
Prevent dry, dusty pesticide spills, such as dusts, powders, or granules,
from becoming airborne by covering them with a sweeping compound or a
plastic covering or by very lightly misting the material with water. Do not
mist too much, because water may release the pesticidal action or may cause
the pesticide to form clumps and be unusable.
Warning: Certain pesticides are oxidizers, such as calcium hypochloride (a
com mon san itizer), and som e herbicides and des iccan ts con tain chl orite s,
which should not be contained with sawdust or other combustible material.
These absorbent materials can combined with the oxidizer to create a fire haz-
ard and could burst into flame.
3.
Clean Up
After containing the spill, you must pick up the spilled material and de-
contaminate the spill site and any contaminated items or equipment.
a.
Clean Up the Spill
For spilled liquid pesticides, sweep up the absorbent material containing
the pesticide and place it into a heavy-duty plastic drum or bag. Keep adding
the absorbent material until the spilled liquid is soaked up and removed. Do
not use more absorbent than is necessary to clean up the spill. It also must
be disposed of properly.
Spills of dry pesticides should be swept up for reuse if possible. Avoid
contaminating the spilled materials with soil or other debris, so it can be used
in the usual application equipment and will not clog the nozzles or hopper
openings. However, if the dry spill has become wet or full of debris, it must
be swept up and placed in a heavy-duty plastic drum or bag for disposal.
b.
Decontaminate the Spill Site
Once you have collected as much of the spilled material as possible, de-
contaminate the spill site as well as possible. Do not hose down the site with
water, unless the spill is on a containment tray or pad.
If the surface on which the pesticide has spilled is nonporous, such as
sealed concrete, glazed ceramic tile, or no-wax sheet flooring, use water (or the
