Environmental Concerns
The environment is everything around you. It is not limited to the outdoors but also includes the areas where you live and work. The environment includes air, soil, water, plants, animals, houses, restaurants, office buildings, and factories. If you use a pesticide, indoors or out, you must consider how that pesticide will affect the environment. Although pesticides often provide efficient control of insects, rodents, weeds, and diseases, they can damage the environment under certain conditions. |
||
Endangered and Threatened Species |
||
Many pesticides have the potential to seriously injure endangered and threatened species. Be aware of protecting endangered and threatened species when applying pesticides near sensitive habitats. Carefully read the pesticide label for any information concerning endangered species. |
||
Drift Infromation |
||
Pesticide drift is the movement of a pesticide to areas other than the intended area of application. Small particles of spray droplets or dusts can be carried by air currents and may great distances away from the application site. Pesticides may also drift when they evaporate from the application site and travel as fumes. This is known as volatilization or volatility drift. |
||
Ground and Surface Water |
||
Pesticide contamination of surface and groundwater can seriously damage the environment. Contamination of surface waters has long been a recognized concern surrounding pesticide use. Such contamination can occur directly by drift, accidental application of pesticides into waters at the time of application, or disposal of pesticide wastes at unapproved sites. Extreme care must always be taken when making pesticide applications near water. Groundwater is maintained in an aquifer, a water saturated zone of soil, sand, gravel, or fractured bedrock. The upper layer of the aquifer is known as the water table. Groundwater becomes contaminated when recharge water carries dissolved chemicals that have leached through the soil profile into the water table. A number of factors contribute to groundwater contamination, including site conditions, pesticide characteristics, the application method, and environmental conditions after the application has been made. |
||
Pollinating Insects |
||
Pollinating insects such as honeybees and leafcutter bees are extremely important in the production of a wide variety of fruit, vegetable, and seed crops. Crop yields and quality are often dependent upon or improved by the activities of pollinators. Honeybees commonly visit fields, orchards, and ornamental plantings to collect pollen, nectar, water, and other materials needed for hive maintenance. Unfortunately, pollinating insects such as honeybees often come in conflict with crop protection practices. Pesticides that are hazardous to honeybees, particularly certain insecticides, are often applied to areas visited by worker bees and destroy or weaken colonies. Pesticides may also drift onto bees clustered on the outside of hives. |
||
Spill Prevention, Control and Cleanup |
||
Pesticide spills can pose serious threats to human health and cause significant environmental contamination. Always be prepared to handle spills before they occur. Regardless of the size of the spill, the response is the same. First, you must control the spill; second, you must contain the spill; third, you must clean it up. These three steps are frequently referred to as the Three Cs of spill management. |
||
CEPEP Factsheets |
||
Links |
||
|
|
||
|
|
|
 |
|||||
 |
|||||||
Disclaimer |
Equal Opportunity |
Search CSU |
Privacy |
||||
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
