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Make All The Right Moves When Transporting Pesticides

Avatar for Paul Rusnak By Elena M. Toro|January 24, 2011
Pesticides are often classified as hazardous materials and their transport requires careful attention and management in order to minimize the risk of accidents. The first line of defense is to know and understand how to prevent transportation mishaps. Furthermore, if an accident ever occurs taking the appropriate course of action can mean the difference between a minor inconvenience and a major problem for the person transporting pesticides and those responding to an emergency.

 The associated risks of transporting pesticides include:

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  1. The flammable or explosive potential of pesticides, their solvent carriers and containers.
  2. The toxicity of the product and its smoke, fumes, vapors, and dusts.
  3. Potential exposure of pesticides to the driver, co-workers in the vehicle and persons outside the vehicle in the event of an accident.
  4. The corrosive nature of many pesticides or their waste by-products after burning.
  5. The possible after-effects from an accidental spilling or dispersing of these biologically active chemicals onto vegetation, yards, streets, or into sewers, ponds, rivers or other waters.

While most active ingredients are toxic especially in their concentrated form they are not flammable. However, solvents like oils and pesticide emulsions present a fire hazard and should be transported as toxic, flammable liquids. Pesticides are stored in a variety of containers including glass, paper, cardboard and paper that can burst, melt or burn in the event of an accident. Therefore, it is important for all individuals that have contact with pesticides become familiar with the established protocol listed in the label in the event of spills and other incidents during transportation of these potentially hazardous products.

Basics Of Handling And Transporting Pesticides

Anyone who handles pesticides is obligated to to ensure that no other person or animal is affected by the pesticide and that adverse environmental effects are avoided as much as possible.

Some things to remember before transporting pesticides:

  • Never carry pesticides in the passenger compartment of a vehicle because spilled chemicals can be difficult or impossible to remove.
  • Open, leaking, damaged or severely corroded containers of pesticides should never be transported.
  • The cargo area of a vehicle must be able to securely hold containers and provide protection from potential punctures or any external impacts that can lead to container damage.
  • Enclosed cargo boxes provide the greatest protection but are not always practical.
  • Open truck beds are convenient for loading and unloading, but take precautions to minimize the possibility of losing containers on sharp turns or bumpy roads.
  • Ensure that flatbed trucks have side and tail racks, and tie-down rings, cleats or racks to simplify the job of securing the load.
  • Never stack pesticides higher than the sides of the vehicle.
  • Load and unload pesticide packages with care. Neither place them under heavy items, which may crush them, nor allow them to drop from a height.
  • If pesticide containers must be transported with other goods, they must be separated in sealed partitions and securely fixed with straps or rope.
  • Pesticide containers should be loaded in such a way that they will not be damaged during transport, that their labels will not be rubbed off and that they will not shift and fall off the truck on rough road surfaces.
  • Before departing make sure that the technical data for all pesticide products and emergency information for spill response are in the vehicle. This information can be found in the label and in the material safety data sheet also known as MSDS. Your local distributor will provide you with a MSDS for the products you purchase or you can access the MSDS of most products at www.cdms.net. The regulatory section of an MSDS lists whether or not the pesticide product is a DOT-regulated product.
  • Access to a mobile phone is strongly recommended for anyone routinely involved in the transport of pesticides or working alone in remote locations.
  • Always carry a spill kit including a shovel and broom and personal protective equipment appropriate for the pesticides in transit.
  • Protect pesticides from temperature extremes and moisture during transit. Extremely low or high temperatures (below 40°F or above 110°F) can alter the stability or effectiveness of some pesticide formulations. 

Make All The Right Moves When Transporting Pesticides ctd.

Responsibilities Of Vehicle Operators Transporting Pesticides

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Whenever possible, transport pesticides in a locked compartment or container. If an open vehicle is used to transport pesticides, never leave it unattended. Both the owner and the operator of thet vehicle transporting pesticides will be held responsible if anyone is poisoned or if environmental contamination occurs because of the aforementioned negligent behavior. If applicable, steps to prevent vandalism or theft should also be taken.
 
The vehicle operator may be the only person capable of reacting to a spill before emergency personnel arrive on the scene. It is essential that the vehicle operator understand the nature and hazards of the pesticides being transported.
 
This information can be found on the label and material safety data sheets (MSDS). In the event of an accident or spill on a public highway the the state and local authorities should be notified as soon as possible. Never leave the spill unattended, especially if it is large or potentially dangerous. With that being said, the first contact that should be made after a spill is 911. These emergency dispatchers are trained to deal with hazardous materials and will help coordinate the local emergency response. In addition, the Chemical Transportation Emergency Center (CHEMTREC) provides emergency information on chemicals and procedures for spills, fires, leaks, or exposures involving chemicals. CHEMTREC is a voluntary program operated by member companies. Assistance is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Their nationwide emergency telephone number is 800-424-9300. Most product labels, transportation or shipping papers will also list emergency telephone numbers that offer 24 hour service to handle pesticide emergencies for the company’s products.
 
Special motor vehicle training and license endorsements as well as pesticide training or certification, may be required for operators of pesticide transport vehicles if a load meets the US Department of Transportation definition of a hazardous material. A hazardous material is a substance or material which has been determined to be capable of posing an unreasonable risk to health, safety, and property when transported in commerce. Transporting hazardous materials can be risky, so regulations have been established to protect transporting employees, the public at-large and the environment. These regulations inform shippers how to package the materialssafely and drivers how to load, transport, and unload the material.
 
Shippers and manufacturers should communicate the risk of their products by affixing hazard or warning labels on their packages, providing proper shipping papers with emergency response information, and placards on transportation vehicles and vessels. Though few pesticides require a transportation placard, it is important to ask distributors whether what you are buying requires a placard for transportation. Placards provide emergency responders with the information necessary to quickly assess an accident scene from a distance, which in turn reduces the possibility of someone approaching the accident site without wearing the proper protective clothing or equipment required by the chemical. Most distributors will furnish the placards if they are required to be displayed during transportation. There are approximately 5,000 materials regulated by the DOT as hazardous materials -the majority of which are not pesticides. These hazardous materials may be researched directly through the HMT electronic document at http://www.phmsa.dot.gov/hazmat/library. Hazardous materials include some pesticides, fertilizers such as anhydrous ammonia or ammonium nitrate, fuels such as gasoline, diesel and propane. For more information of hazardous materials call the Hazardous Material Information Center at 1-800-HMR-4922 or visithttp://www.phmsa.dot.gov/hazmat/info-center.

Make All The Right Moves When Transporting Pesticides ctd.

Accident And Fire Response

If an accident occurs or a fire starts and cannot be safely extinguished within a few seconds:
  1. Do not use road flares if you suspect the leaking material is flammable.
  2. Call emergency services or the fire department, give the location of the fire and explain the pesticides and the amount involved.
  3. Do not try to extinguish a fire without adequate protective clothing and respiratory protection.
  4. Avoid using large amounts of water to extinguish a fire. This is will keep toxic runoff to a minimum.
  5. If any individuals need to seek medical attetion, take a copy of the shipping document.
  6. Remove victims using gloves and remove clothing immediately and warn others of the danger.
  7. Keep all bystanders upwind of the accident and if there is a fire, send someone to evacuate nearby buildings.
  8. Avoid breathing smoke, fumes, vapors or dusts.
  9. Cover powdered pesticides to prevent toxic dust movement by wind or passing vehicles.

After a pesticide related accident special attention should be paid to the clean–up effort. The first step is to dispose all debris and damaged pesticides by closing and restricting access to the site until it has been cleaned. If there is standing water, pump runoff water into a tank and dispose of it as hazardous waste. Do not wash any material into a waterway, a sewer system, a storm drainage system or the ground. 

When removing debris and waste chemicals use the personal protective equipment (PPE) listed on the label and avoid creating dust. If the product allows, it may be necessary to lightly mist an area to keep the dust from rising. Additionally, pesticides recovered from a surface or broken/leaking containers should be should be transferred to an appropriate container that is properly labeled. To further contain liquid spills spread absorbent materials such as fine sand, vermiculite, clay or pet litter over the entire spill. Avoid using sawdust or sweeping compounds if the pesticide is a strong oxidizer (see label or MSDS) because such a combination presents a possible fire hazard. After spreading the absorbent material it should be swept up and placed in a in a plastic bag or drum for disposal. It may be necessary to decontaminate or neutralize the area. Ordinary household bleach in water (approximately 30% bleach), hydrated lime or commercial decontamination preparations can be used to neutralize a spill area. Do not use bleach and lime together.

The only way to decontaminate soil saturated with a pesticide is to remove the top 2 to 3 inches of soil. This contaminated soil is now considered hazardous waste and must be disposed of according to state guidelines. Once the contamination has been removed, cover the area with at least 2 inches of lime and soil.

Remember to decontaminate tools and vehicles with a solution consisting of 1 quart of household bleach or an alkaline detergent (dishwashing soap) solution to clean equipment. Bleach may not be a good product for vehicles due to its corrosive nature. Do not mix bleach and detergent together. Equipment such as brooms, leather shoes, and cloth hats cannot be effectively decontaminated and should be discarded.

To protect yourself follow these personal precautions and encourage others to do the same:

  1. Wash and shower using large amounts of soap and water to remove all toxic chemicals. Pay special attention to the scalp, fingernails, skin folds, creases and openings, like ears, eyes, nose, etc.
  2. Wash all personal clothing, protective clothing and respirators. Discard contaminated leather and canvas shoes, booths and gloves. Wash clothes contaminated with concentrated materials separate from household laundry.
  3. Be on the lookout for early symptoms of pesticide poisoning such as headache, dizziness, nausea, sweating or blurred vision. These symptoms may take several hours to appear. 

By following the established protocol for pesticide spills and accidents an individual can be better prepared to help emergency responders and avoid unnecessary degradation of the environment. It is important for individuals that handle, transport or apply chemicals demonstrate a good faith effort to keep the public at-large safe from the potential adverse effects of pesticides spills or accidents.

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Elena M. Toro is an agriculture/natural resources Extension agent at the UF/IFAS Suwannee County office in Live Oak.


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