“Harmful if swallowed” . . . “may be harmful if absorbed through skin” . . . “may irritate eyes, nose, throat, and skin”.
DANGER with the word “poison” and the “skull and crossbones”
symbol means “very dangerous if swallowed or inhaled.” Without the word “poison” and the “skull and crossbones” symbol, DANGER usually means that the pesticide has a high potential as a skin or eye irritant.
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The signal word associated with each pesticide listed above indicates its relative level of toxicity. Pesticides with a high toxicity value signify that relatively small quantities of the pesticide may cause serious illness or death. (see Table 5.3).
Following the signal word on a label is the statement which indicate the route(s) of entry posing the greatest risk to the applicator when handling the pesticide. These statements are related to the toxicity of the pesticide and indicate which parts of the body must be particularly protected. Often, the label will also indicate “specific action” statements that should be taken to prevent pesticide poisoning accidents:
“Do not breath vapors or spray mist” “““““AAAAvoid contact with the skin or clothing”.Avoid contact with the skin or clothing”.void contact with the skin or clothing”.void contact with the skin or clothing”.void contact with the skin or clothing”.
Knowing the product’s general level of toxicity helps you choose the proper precautionary measures (which includes wearing the appropriate protective equipment) for handling and applying the pesticide.
It must be emphasized that the signal word is not based solely on the active ingredient of the pesticide, but on the contents of the formulated product. The signal word on a pesticide label indicates the hazard to you of any active ingredients, solvents, or inert ingredients contained in the formulation.
The EPA determines which signal word will be required on a label, not the manufacturer. A signal word is determined by the most severe toxicity category assigned to the four acute toxicity routes of exposure discussed above. For example, a pesticide product which exhibits low dermal and inhalation toxicity, but has moderate oral toxicity, must carry the signal word WARNING. Unfortunately, there is no information on the label to let you know which aspect of toxicity (oral, dermal, inhalation, ocular) determined the appropriate signal word. It is possible for a pesticide product which has a “DANGER” signal word to present a lower practical application hazard on the job, than a product with a “WARNING” signal word!
Toxicity
The ability of a chemical to damage an organ system, such as the liver or kidneys, or to disrupt a biochemical process, such as the blood-forming mechanism, or to disturb an enzyme system at some site in the body.
Simply stated, toxicity is the property of
a chemical which causes damage to the body of a living organism.
While the signal word provides the pesticide user with an indication of the relative toxicity of the formulated product, do not depend solely on these indicators when considering the potential dangers of a pesticide to humans; your understanding of the term “hazard” is equally important.
The terms hazard and toxicity do not mean the same! Toxicity is the relative capacity of a
pesticide to cause harm to humans and animals. Hazard, on the other hand, is a function of two
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Some pesticides are highly toxic to humans; only a few drops in the mouth or on the skin can cause extremely harmful effects. Other pesticides are far less toxic, but too much exposure to them will cause harmful effects also!
There are two types of toxicity, acute and chronic. Acute toxicity refers to exposure to a single dose of a pesticide which produces symptoms within a short period of time after the exposure. The pesticide label warns of the dangers of acute toxicity through the various precautionary statements and signal words. Label Signal words are prominently displayed on the front panels
of all pesticide labels. They are based on a system which breaks pesticides into categories and
specific ratings of toxicity. These specific ratings are described in terms of LD50, the lethal dosage of a pesticide necessary to kill 50 percent of a population of laboratory test organisms.
Every chemical you have in your home, whether it be in food or cleaning solvents used in and around the home, has some level of toxicity. Acute toxicity of various pesticides and other chemicals
commonly found around the home can be compared by use of the LD50 ratings of each when found
in a concentrated form. These ratings change when materials are diluted by manufacturers to be sold as formulated products and are changed further when diluted by the user during mixing. The higher the LD50 rating, the lower the toxicity. In some cases, the acute oral LD50 is so high that the
chemical is said to be practically non-toxic. Chemicals with very low LD50 ratings are highly toxic
(see Table 5.2).