1. How to Identify the Products Your Patients Are Exposed To
Name That Pesticide
How to Identify the Products Your Patients Are Exposed To
Helen Murphy, RN, FNP, MHS
Director of Outreach
Pacific Northwest Agricultural Safety and Health
University of Washington, Seattle WA

2. The nomenclature of pesticides is similar to medications in that they have….
A brand/trade or product name: e.g. Motrin
A generic name (common name or active ingredient): ibuprofen
A chemical family: e.g. NSAID
Likewise one needs to know the chemical family and more specifically the common name to understand the health effect of an exposure and how to treatment a poisoning.

3. What the Patient Will Know ?
NOT the common or chemical family name. More likely they can identify:
the BRAND name
the TYPE (insecticide, herbicide, fungicide, fumigant)
the CROP to which the pesticide was being applied.

4. Pesticide Product Label
The label is the agriculture world = the package insert for the medical world
The label is the LAW and dictates:
Use
Required personal protective equipment
The label on the bottle or package provides basic information

5. Information Sources on Pesticides
Label
MSDS
Ingredient statement
EPA registration number
Establishment number
Formulation
Signal word
Statement of practical treatment (first aid)
Personal protective equipment (PPE) handlers
Environmental hazards
Directions for use
Hazards to humans
Storage and disposal directions
Chemical product identification
Physical and chemical properties
Fire and explosion hazards
Toxicological information / Human health data
Regulatory levels and classifications
Personal protection recommendations (concentrate only)
Emergency and first aid procedures
Ecological or environmental hazards
Spills, fires, and accident procedures
Storage and disposal directions
Ingredient statement – Name and percentage of each active ingredient and total percentage of inert ingredients. An inert ingredient is one for which no toxic activity against the pest is claimed, while the active ingredient is that component that actually controls the pest. (Although they are not toxic, inerts can cause health and environmental concerns.)
EPA registration number – Indicates that the pesticide label has been registered by EPA.
Establishment number – Identifies that facility where the product was made.
Formulation – Certain formulations are more likely to be absorbed through the skin or inhaled.
Signal word – Indicates level of acute toxicity. DANGER = extremely toxic (high potential for skin and eye irritation); DANGER/POISON = extremely toxic by ingestion;WARNING = moderately toxic; CAUTION = slightly toxic to relatively nontoxic.
Statement of practical treatment (first aid) – Indicates initial first aid practices to mitigate exposure. Indicates whether inducement of vomiting is recommended or contraindicated.
Personal protective equipment (PPE) – Clothing and/or equipment required to be worn when handling the pesticide.
Environmental hazards – Potential concerns regarding hazards to environment, including fish, avian, and bee toxicities.
Directions for use – Identifies crops/sites for application, pests controlled, method of application, rate of application, mixing directions, preharvest intervals, restricted entry intervals, etc.
Hazards to humans – Indicates which route of entry (mouth skin, eyes, lungs) must particularly be protected and what specific actions should be taken to avoid acute effects from exposure.
Storage and disposal directions – Usually fairly general information such as "Store out of reach of children" and "Do not re-use container."

6. Sample Package Labels Type of pesticide Company name
Brand/trade/product name
Common/generic name (sometimes the same as the active ingredients)
Chemical family
Signal word (hazard level)

7. Brand Name “SUPRACIDE” Type “Insecticide”
Hazard Level “Danger/poison” Poison Icon
Common Name “Methadithion”
Chemical Family “Organophosphate”
Antidote “Atropine”
Manufacturer Gowan

8. Class Exercise Distribute Sample Pesticide Product Labels
Temik
Sevin
Thiodan
Guthion
Dursban
Gramoxone
Weed Rhap
Asana
Captan
Roundup
Dithane
Ziram

9. Class Exercise Find the following items on the label
Company/Manufacturer’s name
Brand/Product/Trade name
Common name (generic – active ingredient)
Type: use in agriculture
Chemical family
Signal word (hazard level)
Fill in the pesticide classification table (hand out)

10. Pesticide Classification Table#
Company
Name
Brand
Common
Type
Chemical Family
Signal
Class 1.
Gowen
Supracide
methidathion
insecticide OP
organophosphate
Danger-Poison
(Ib)

11. Exercise: Classifying Pesticides
Pesticide Labels *
COMPANY
BRAND
COMMON
TYPE
FAMILY
SIGNAL
WHO 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.
10.
11.
12.
Bayer
Temik
Aldicarb
Insecticide
Carbamate
Danger-poison la
Verdicon
Sevin
Carbaryl
Insecticide
Carbamate
Caution ll
UCP Alliance
Thiodan
Endosulfan
Insecticide
Organochlorine
Warning ll
Bayer
Guthion
Azinophos methyl
Insecticide
Organophospate
Danger-poison lb
Dow
Dursban
Chlorpyrifos
Insecticide
Organophospate
Warning ll
Syngenta
Gramoxone
Paraquat
Herbicide
Paraquat
Danger-poison ll
Helena
Weed Rhap
2, 4-D
Herbicide
Chlorophenoxy
Danger-poison ll
DuPont
Asana
Esfenverlate
Insecticide
Pyrethroid
Warning lV
Bayer
Captan
Captan
Fungicide
Danger-poison II
Max
Roundup
Glyphosate
Herbicide
Caution
U-IV
Mancozeb
Fungicide
Dow
Dithane
Caution
U-IV
Cerexagri-Nisso
Ziram
Ziram
Fungicide
III
Danger
* WHO – World Health Organization International Classification

12. Company Name May be useful in looking up a product
Workers may confuse this name with the brand, product or trade name.
Some companies also produce pharmaceuticals.

13. Brand/Trade/Product Name
Agricultural workers know pesticides primarily through the brand name
Companies will keep brand names but CHANGE the active ingredients (e.g. Raid)
Can use brand name as a search term

14. Common Name Critical identifier of the chemical
Some databases only allow you to search by common name.
Basis of treatment!

15. Types of Pesticides Fumigants Kill rodents with anticoagulants
Disinfectants
Fumigants
Kill rodents with anticoagulants
Control pests by attacking their nervous system
Antibiotics for plants
Corrosive weed killers

16. Pesticide Chemical Families -grouping based on similarities-
Similar chemically (similar structure)
Attacks pests in a similar way (toxicity)
Common treatment + antidote
Pyrethroid
insecticides
Organophosphate
insecticides
Carbamate
insecticides
Paraquat
Diquat
herbicides
Organochlorine
insecticides
Chlorophenoxy
Herbicides

17. How Toxic Is It?
Source: Richards, Kerry Penn State University Extension Service

18. Source: Richards, Kerry Penn State University Extension Service

19. LD50
Lethal dose = Amount of chemical it takes to kill 50% of an experimental population

20. Source: Richards, Kerry Penn State University Extension Service

21. WHO International Standard
US Standard *
DANGER/POISON = extremely toxic by ingestion
DANGER = extremely toxic high potential for skin and eye irritation *
Adapted from Richards, Kerry Penn State University Extension Service

22. Source: Richards, Kerry Penn State University Extension Service

23. Sample Case
A patient comes into your office after spilling the weed killer – Direx - on himself. He is having some vague non specific problems.
How will you identify what kind of adverse heath effects he may experience?

24. Pesticide Identification Resources
Poison Control (800) (TDD) 1(800)
Google “Direx”
Pesticide Websites:
PAN
CDMS
NPIC

25. Practice: Using these resources for Diurex ™find
The common name
The chemical family
Health effects
Recommended decontamination
Recommended PPE
Describe the attributes of each resource used including advantages and disadvantages