February is National Pesticide Safety Education Month, and the Weed Science Society of America (WSSA), the American Phytopathological Society (APS), and the Entomological Society of America (ESA) are inviting you to participate in promoting pesticide safety awareness and practices during February and throughout the year.
“Safe pesticide use requires caution and vigilance at all times, but February – and National Pesticide Safety Education Month – is an especially appropriate time to examine current best safety practices,” says Lee Van Wychen, Ph.D., WSSA executive director of science policy. “Appropriate safeguards should be well in place wherever handling, transporting, storing, applying or disposing of pesticides – to protect yourself, the environment, and others in your community.”
The National Pesticide Safety Education Month webpage contains many online resources produced by Land Grant University pesticide safety education programs to assist the public with proper pesticide use. Topics include how to read a pesticide label, what to do after a spill, how to ensure worker protection standards, and pollination and wildlife protection. One fun feature is an online quiz to check your knowledge on basic pesticide safety principles and to assess your own pesticide safety practices at home and work. The site also includes quizzes on pesticide storage, pesticide drift, and wildlife protection, among several others.
“The goal is to have a safe home environment, healthy crops, successful conservation efforts, agricultural worker protection and more – all of which require safe pesticide handling and use,” emphasizes Van Wychen. “We welcome you to refresh and test your knowledge on the website, follow the organization online, and join our efforts, either as an individual or as an organization.”
The University of Illinois Pesticide Safety Education Program (PSEP) will be offering online training as well as statewide in-person commercial and private training clinics where approximately 2000 applicators will participate this February alone.
Press release from the WSSA, ESA, and APS, slightly modified by Michelle Wiesbrook
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Michelle Wiesbrook provides subject matter expertise and training in pesticide safety with an emphasis on horticultural weed science. She serves as the Illinois Pesticide Review newsletter editor, collecting and organizing material; and co-coordinates social media information for the PSEP program and ensures its timely publication.