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Funded Project |
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Funding Program:
IPM Partnership Grants |
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Project Title:
Pocket Pesticide Calibration Guide |
Project Directors (PDs):
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Lead State: ME Lead Organization: University of Maine |
| Undesignated Funding: $9,242 |
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Start Date: Apr-01-2004 End Date: Mar-31-2005 |
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Area of Emphasis: worker safety, pesticide safety |
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Summary:
Human error is arguably the most common source of pesticide related accidents. A lack of knowledge involving common conversion factors can cause mistakes in the field. These errors cause improperly calibrated application equipment, and improperly mixed materials.
The Pocket Pesticide Calibration Guide (PPCG) has long been a useful resource for pesticide applicators throughout the northeast. The PPCG was first published in the late '60's and was a useful and concise on site guide for pesticide applicators in all fields. The Northeast Pesticide Safety Educators and Coordinators (NEPSEC) performed a survey on the usefulness of the PPCG publication. The positive responses from applicators combined with the continuing stream of requests for the guide show the need for a new revised printing. Furthermore, many of the examples in the PPCG involve chemicals such as DDT that have been taken off the market. The result is a need to update the examples and to revise the format. The objective is to revise the PPCG in order to remove outdated examples, and to reformat it for better accessibility. The publication will be revised using information from northeast land grant universities, revisions from NEPSEC and other sources with current information. The opportunity available is to create an updated guide for northeastern pesticide applicators. The proper calibration of equipment and the proper mixing of materials in order to reduce on site pesticide related human injury, crop injury, reduce costs, and reduce the improper release of pesticide into the environment is the goal. Literature Review, Previous Work, Related Experience: For over three decades pesticide applicators have been using the Pocket Pesticide Calibration Guide (Boys and Murphey). However, supplies of the PPCG have been depleted in most states. State pesticide safety coordinators have stated that requests for the guide are still being made. Overall, it's still a very useful field reference for determining proper conversion factors and calculations involving pesticide application equipment calibration and chemical mixing. In 2000 at their annual meeting the Northeast Pesticide Safety Educators and Coordinators voted this their top publication need. (Personal comment) The problem lies in the content of the PPCG. Many of the examples use DDT and other canceled chemicals in them. To those unfamiliar with the guide, it could be seen as a state supported recommendation for materials that have been previously limited or removed from the market. Another issue with the PPCG is the organization of the content. The content is not always easily accessible due to the print size and format of the guide. Many states have pesticide equipment calibration information online, or in their pesticide applicator training manuals (Unruh, 1993) (Casady and Downs, 1997), however, they do not have any on site references for pesticide applicators. The University of Maine Cooperative Extension in cooperation with the NEPSEC would like to produce a pesticide calibration guide for on site use. The pest management office staff has put together calibration references before (Dill and Yonker 1980) (Barry and Fish 1989) (Dill, Dwyer, and Morrow 1993), and has created a number of pesticide applicator training publications. By updating the PPCG, we have the opportunity to update the examples and information into a less politically hazardous format. We also have the opportunity to increase the ease of use and accessibility of information. These attributes will help the guide to become an easily accessible onsite resource, to prevent guessing, and to promote informed decision making. Objectives: 1. To update and edit the Pocket Pesticide Calibration Guide. 2. To print twelve thousand (12,000) copies of the Pocket Pesticide Calibration Guide for distribution throughout the Northeast. Final Report PDF of Pocket Pesticide Calibration Guide |
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