ABSTRACT

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has to issue regulations on procedures for removal and rinsing of pesticides from containers; safe use by eliminating splash and leakage; and safe disposal, refill and reuse. EPA is also supposed to look into ways to encourage recycling of pesticide containers. People have become much more worried about pesticide use in their communities, whether it's the next door neighbor hiring a lawn care company or a public building that's been sprayed. According to the task force report, eight states maintain registries of people who are to be notified when professional applicators apply lawn care pesticides within a certain distance from their homes. The EPA in mid-1992 issued a long-awaited new rule to improve the safety of workers handling agricultural chemicals. This rule is sometimes called the farmworker safety rule or the 1992 worker protection standard.