Fertilizer & pesticide best management practices

2 Pages·1994·0.14 MB·English

by  Hart, Heidi

363.738
ClOFP j*tilizer^Pesticide
V.5
s^O) CD
Pesticide and Fertilizer Spills and Accidents =»."0
H
Preventative Measures to Protect GroundandSurface Water 09- -i-£Swf*=*Z> C/>
Two pounds of pesticide, evenly distributed in an EmergencyResponse
aquifer,couldcontaminate 10milliongallonsofwater.The Atleastonepersonatasitewhereagriculturalchemicals
costofcleanup, health concernsandeconomicsare strong are being manufactured, stored or used should be able to
incentivestopreventpesticideandfertilizerspills.Everyone initiateandcoordinateemergencyresponseactivitiesinthe •M= =2 OB
hopestoneverfaceanemergency.Yet,evenafacilitythatis event there is aspill or accidental release. All employees at >
well constructed, well operated and well maintained may these sites should be familiar with waste handling and -< 3
haveproblems. Equipmentfails,peoplemakemistakesand emergencyresponseprocedures.
spills or fires may occur. While the timingofthese occur- The initial response toanagriculturalchemicalspill
rencescannotbepredicted,awellconceivedresponsetoan should be to determine what has been spilled and the
accidentcan keepasmallproblem from turninginto abig safetymeasuresneededtorespondsothatfurtherdamage
one.Thereareactionsandbestmanagementplansthatwill isn't caused by an inappropriate response. Contain the
CTQ
prepareyoutorespondeffectivelytoanemergencysituation spill. Next, theappropriatepersonsoragenciesshouldbe
suchasapesticideorfertilizeraccidentorspill. notified ofthe spill. The Montana Department ofAgri- CD
culture should be notified immediately at 1-406-444-
PreventingSpills 3
2944bythepersonresponsibleforanagriculturalchemi-
Prevention,ofcourse,isthebeststrategy.Thefollowing cal spill. The Montana Hazardous Materials Emergency
areexamplesofpreventativepesticideandfertilizerspillsbest
ResponseSystemshouldalsobecontactedimmediatelyat
/manaMgiexmeanntdprlaocatdicecshetmoipcraoltsecatwgaryoufnrdoamndwastuerrfacseupwpaltieers., 1-800-426-9440or1-406-444-6911.TheDisasterEmer- CD
gency Service will then notify the appropriate agencyof
including wells, ponds, and streams. Also, avoid
the spill. The National Response Centershould be con-
depressional areas andabandonedwells thathave not
tacted at 1-800-424-8802 ifaspill occurs that threatens
^ beensealedproperly.
W human health or has reachedsurfacewater.
Never leave aspraytankunattendedwhile it is being
filled. If the tank overflows, you may end up with SpillReporting
contaminated puddles on the ground orchemicals in Whenyounotifyauthoritiesofanemergency,havein
thenearestwatersource. mindyourresponseandcleanupprocedures.Thespillreport
shoidd includethefollowing:
/
Maintain application equipment to avoid leaky hose Nameandtelephonenumberofthecontactpersonat
connections and worn spots, which could break and thefarm,dealershiporfacilitywherethespilloccurred
spillchemicals.
/ Locationofthespillandifwateristhreatened
Clean mixing, loading, and application equipment
awayfrom allwatersupplies. Ifpossible, clean equip- Nameortypeofproductspilled
o
mentoveraconcretepadequippedwithasumptocatch Toxicityoftheproduct
rinsewatercontaining pesticides. The collectedwater
Estimatedquantityspilled
canbeusedasacarrierinfiimrepesticideapplications.
/ Extentofanyinjuriesorexposure CD
Useanri-siphoningdevices,suchascheckvalves,toprevent
thetankspraymixturefrombacksiphoningdownthehose Causeofthespillorfire
— c/>
intoawatersource astream,pond,orwell. Actiontaken tocontrolandcontainthespillorfire
</ Consider a closed-system mixer and loader. Closed Planned cleanup procedures, evacuation and other
systems meterand transferpesticideproductsdirecdy precautions 1994-5
fromtheshippingcontainerto themixingorapplica-
tiontanks, reducingthe riskofaspill. Closedsystems When thespilloccurred
often rinse the containers as well, and they provide Windspeedanddirection ifapplicable.
greater accuracy in measuring the chemical dosage. RecordKeeping
However,mechanicalfailuressuchashosebreaksmay A
complete system ofrecords helps prove a facility is
»inoccurmorefrequentlywithaclosedsystem.Also,keep wellrunandcouldbeimportanttowardlimitingliabilityin
mind that anti-siphoning devices are still essential the event ofan accident. Record keeping forms should,
withaclosedsystem.
whenever possible, be filled out during the task being ^CAW.fl''''
</ Ifyou use an emulsifier or spreader-sticker, add it performed or immediately after, to keep mistakes to a MONTANA
beforethetankisfiill.Thesematerialstendtocreate minimum. Also, the greater the detail provided on each I STATE
foamingwhichcouldcausethechemicaltooverflow form, theeasieritwill be to recall theactualevent ifcalled UNIVERSITY
onto theground. uponlater. IttflSSffii
ExtensionService
-
Anotherreason forkeepinggood records is for insur- ifthepesticide isastrongoxidizer. This combinatiof
ance and liability purposes. Insurance carriers may want presentsapossiblefirehazard.ThelabelortheMateri-
records to confirm practices and show how risks were alsSafetyDataSheetforthatproductshouldindicate
minimized. whether the pesticide is a strong oxidizer or is highly
flammable.
SpillResponse
Even when proper procedures are followed, pesticide y Donothosedown thearea.Waterwillsimplyspread
and fertilizer spills may occur. The way a spill is handled thepesticide, creatingawiderareaofcontamination.
dependsonwhethertheproductcanberecoveredandreused / Sweep or shovel contaminated material into a leak-
orifthematerialisunusableandthereforeawaste.Spillsthat proofdrum.
canbeeasilyrecoveredandreusedaretransferredtoalabeled
containerandstoreduntiltheproductcanbeusedaccording / Insomecases,you shouldcovertheareawithacom-
tolabeldirections.Spillsthatcannotbeeasilyrecoveredmay poundthatneutralizesthepesticide. Italldependson
takelongertocleanupandthematerialcollectedmaynotbe thepesticidespilled,socontacttheemergencyresponse
abletobeusedasitwasoriginallyintended.Thismaterialwill agencyorthe manufacturertofindoutwhento usea
be considered a waste product and must be disposed of neutralizingcompound.
properly. Know ahead oftime what steps to take when a / After removing contaminated material and possibly
pesticideorfertilizerspiUoccurs. puttingdownaneutralizingcompound,testthesoil.If
Place spill cleanup supplies and equipment in a well the soil is still contaminated, continue to remove
marked, accessible location in or near the storage area. contaminated material and put it into a leakproof
Sufficientquantitiesofthesesuppliesandequipmentshould drum.Then testthesoilagain.
beavailabletocontainandcleanuptwicethevolumeofthe /
Disposeofthecontaminatedwaterorsoilaccordingto
largestcontainer.
Environmental ProtectionAgencyprocedures.
ControlandContain theSpill PreventativeMeasuresToProtect
Controlthespill,butdonotendangeryourselfbybeing GroundandSurfaceWater
inadvertentlyexposedtotheproduct. Personalsafetyisthe Best management practices must be used to prevent
mostimportantissue. Propersafetyequipmentmustalways agriculturalchemicalspillsandaccidentsandprotectground
—bewornwhenhandlingspills.Putonsafetyequipmentfirst andsurfacewater.
thendealwiththespill.Identifythesourceofthespilland y Havean inventoryofmaterialsstored.
ccoonnttrroolllietd,,prceovnetnatiinngifttwiritthhersapidlilkagee.oOfnscoiel,thseansdpi,llchhaesmbieceanl y Haveafacilitycontingencyplan forprocedures to be
absorbents,granulesorbooms.Itisparticularlyimportantto followedintheeventofafireorcatastrophicevent.Give
notallowanyproducttogetintoawaterchannelorbodyof thelocal firedepartmentacopyofyourplan.
water,includingstormsewers,sanitarysewersorseptictanks. y Clearlylabelexitsandemergencyequipment.
CleaningSpills / Educateemployeesontheplanandpreparethemfor
The final phase in an emergency response plan is to anyemergencies.
implementcleanupprocedurestoremovethepesticideand y
Intheeventofapesticideorfertilizerspill,emergency
fertilizer from groundand/orsurfacewater andto remove responseactionsmustbe implementedimmediately.
anycontaminatedmaterialsorsoilfromthesite.
y Under certain circumstances, you should report the y Contain the pesticide or fertilizer spill as soon as
spill to theproperauthorities. The decision to notify possible.
authoritiesdependsonthesizeofspill,whatpesticideor y Notifytheproperagencies. Cleanupandremediation
fertilizer was spilled, state regulations and potential proceduresshouldbeimplementedpromptiy.
threats to htunan health or the environment. For MSU
HeidiHart, ExtensionAssistant
instance, notify state and local authorities ifthe spill MSU
reaches a stream, pond or other water source. To JeffJacobsen, ExtensionSoilScientist
determine when you must notify authorities, check
withyourlocalemergencyresponseagency.
y
Always keep materials for containing a spill close at TheprogramsoftheMontanaExtensionServiceareavailabletoall
hand.Knowaheadoftimewhattodotocontainaspill peopleregardlessofrace,creed,color,sexornationalorigin.
oftheparticularpesticideandfertilizeryou'reusing. Issuedinfurtheranceofcooperativeextensionworkinagricultureand
/ Ifyouhavespilledaliquidpesticide,coverthespillarea hthoemUe.Se.coDneopmaircst;meancttsooffAMgariycu8ltaunrde,JAunnedr3e0a,P1a9g1e4n.kIonpfc,ooApsesroactiiaotnewViitche
completelywith a material thatwill absorb the pesti- Provost forOutteach and Director Extension Service, Montana Stat^
cide: activated charcoal, adsorptive clay, vermiculite, University,Bozeman,Montana59717.
pet litter, sawdust or specialized pesticide-absorbent Fundingprovided bytheMontanaAgricultural Chemical Ground
WaterProtectionActand FertilizerCheckoff.Additional information
materials. Use enough material to soakup the liquid. may be found in the General Agricultural Chemical Ground Water
However,donotusesawdustorsweepingcompoimds ManagementPlan(GMP).