What is the hazard symbol for pesticides?

Author: Dr. Trycia Hyatt II  |  Last update: Friday, April 25, 2025

Currently, EPA uses two pictograms: a version of the skull and crossbones for the most severe categories of acute toxicity and a flame symbol for certain highly flammable pesticides.

What type of hazard is pesticides?

Pesticides are inherently hazardous, and among them, a relatively small number of Highly Hazardous Pesticides (HHPs) cause disproportionate harm to environment and human health including severe environmental hazards, high acute and chronic toxicity.

What hazard class are pesticides in?

All pesticides are 6.1; if in flammable liquid, may also be Class 3. Division 6.2 – consists of material that is an infectious substance (etiologic agent). Division 6.2 includes bacteria, fungi, viruses, insects, and other infectious substances.

What is the code for pesticides?

Harmonized System Code – HS Code Heading 3808: INSECTICIDES, RODENTICIDES, FUNGICIDES, HERBICIDES, ANTI-SPROUTING PRODUCTS AND PLANT-GROWTH REGULATORS, DISINFECTANTS AND SIMILAR PRODUCTS, PUT UP IN FORMS OR PACKINGS FOR RETAIL SALE OR AS PREPARATIONS OR ARTICLES (FOR EXAMPLE, SULPHURTREATED BANDS, WIC.

What is the hazard statement on a pesticide label?

The pesticide label's environmental hazards statement provides the precautionary language advising of the potential hazards to the environment from transport, use, storage, or spill of the product. The hazards may be to water, soil, air, beneficial insects, plants, and/or wildlife.

Understanding Risk Vs Hazard in Pesticides

What are the hazard symbols for pesticides?

The "skull and cross bones" symbol warns that the chemical is poisonous if taken into the body. Keep the product out of reach of children. Use the appropriate safety measures when dealing with poisonous products. The "fire" symbol is a warning that the pesticide is flammable or easily ignited.

What are the two regulations for pesticides?

Federal Pesticide Laws and Associated Statutes. EPA regulates pesticides under broad authority granted in two major statutes, the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) and the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA).

What is a Section 3 pesticide label?

Registration: Under Section 3 of FIFRA, we can register pesticides for use throughout the United States. We register some pesticides for more limited use in certain states. In addition, states, tribes and territories can place further restrictions on pesticides used or sold within their own jurisdictions.

What is the color code for pesticides?

In addition to these pictograms, pesticide labels contain a color code surrounding a band of relevant pictograms to shed the light on the toxicity level of the pesticide according to the WHO toxicity classification (red for extremely hazardous, yellow for highly hazardous, blue for slightly hazardous, and green for ...

How are pesticides labeled?

Signal words indicate the relative acute toxicity of the product to humans and animals. The statement, KEEP OUT OF REACH OF CHILDREN, must also appear above the signal word on the label. If two products will control the same pest, signal words can help you choose the least toxic chemical to control the pest.

What are the seven hazard symbols?

GB CLP hazard pictograms
  • Explosive (Symbol: exploding bomb)
  • Flammable (Symbol: flame)
  • Oxidising (Symbol: flame over circle)
  • Corrosive (Symbol: corrosion)
  • Acute toxicity (Symbol: skull and crossbones)
  • Hazardous to the environment (Symbol: environment)
  • Health hazard/Hazardous to the ozone layer (Symbol: exclamation mark)

What are the chemical hazards of pesticides?

Chronic diseases linked to exposure to chemical pesticides range from various types of cancers to neurological disorders, developmental delays in children and effects on reproductive capacity and infertility.

Is pesticide a hazmat?

Pesticides are another group of hazardous materials that are commonly found at USDA Forest Service facilities. Pesticides include insecticides, herbicides, insect repellents, deer repellents, rodenticides, and fungicides.

What category is pesticides in?

These pesticides are categorized as insecticides, herbicides, fungicides, rodenticides, molluscicides, nematicides, and plant growth regulators, further classified based on their primary targets and modes of action [53,54].

What is the safest pesticide for humans?

LEAST-TOXIC ALTERNATIVES

Examples of least-toxic insecticides include insecticidal petroleum or plant-based oils, soaps, and the microbial insecticide Bacillus thuringiensis.

What is the warning label on pesticides?

CAUTION means the pesticide product is slightly toxic if eaten, absorbed through the skin, inhaled, or it causes slight eye or skin irritation. WARNING indicates the pesticide product is moderately toxic if eaten, absorbed through the skin, inhaled, or it causes moderate eye or skin irritation.

What pesticide is banned by the EPA?

The EPA announced on August 18, 2021, that it would ban all uses of chlorpyrifos on food, after decades of allowing its use. EWG applauded the long-overdue move as a vital step toward protecting public health.

What is a Category 4 pesticide?

Toxicity category III is slightly toxic and slightly irritating, Toxicity category IV is practically non-toxic and not an irritant.

What are basic pesticide safety rules?

Follow label directions carefully. Avoid splashing, spilling, leaks, spray drift, and contamination of clothing. NEVER eat, smoke, drink, or chew while using pesticides. Provide for emergency medical care IN ADVANCE as required by regulation.

Who is legally authorized to apply pesticide?

Who needs to be certified to apply pesticides? Federal law requires any person who applies or supervises the use of restricted use pesticides (RUPs) to be certified in accordance with EPA regulations and state, territorial and tribal laws. Pesticide applicators must know how to apply RUPs properly and effectively.

Who regulates pesticides in the US?

EPA and the states (usually that state's agriculture office) register or license pesticides for use in the United States. Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) authorizes EPA to register pesticides.

What is the symbol for a pesticide hazard?

Pictograms. Currently, EPA uses two pictograms: a version of the skull and crossbones for the most severe categories of acute toxicity and a flame symbol for certain highly flammable pesticides. The Globally Harmonized System (GHS) includes a number of additional pictograms.

What are the labeling requirements for pesticides?

The label of each pesticide product must bear a statement which contains the name and percentage by weight of each active ingredient, the total percentage by weight of all inert ingredients; and if the pesticide contains arsenic in any form, a statement of the percentages of total and water-soluble arsenic calculated ...

What 5 things must be listed on a pesticide label?

The front panel of a pesticide label should usually be organized in the following order: 1) restricted use pesticide statement; 2) product name, brand, or trademark; 3) ingredient statement; 4) child hazard warning statement; 5) signal word; 6) first aid statement; 7) skull and cross bones symbol and the word “Poison”; ...

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