The Pesticide Specialist explained that the term "safe" can mean something different
to
everyone.
Pesticides by their nature are
meant to
kill or repel a living organism, and therefore have some level of
risk. The U.S. EPA does not allow safety
claims,
such as "non-toxic," "green," or "natural," in the labeling
of any registered product. These words can incorrectly convey a sense of safety, and possibly result in
carelessness during application. For example, the term "non-toxic" can be misleading when applied to
pesticides,
since
a pesticide must have certain toxicity in order to kill a pest. These terms may be used occasionally in
marketing materials, but they do not appear on the product labels.
The Pesticide Specialist told Amy that the term "natural" means that the product's ingredients are not
man-made. However, this doesn't always mean the product is less toxic or has no risk. Some of the
most toxic substances on earth are natural, such as snake venom, ricin, and arsenic. Similarly, the term
"green" is not defined by any regulatory agency, which makes it open to interpretation by the consumer
and marketing companies.
On the other hand, "organic
pesticides" are clearly defined and must comply with
specific standards
set by the USDA National Organic Program. They cannot contain
man-made chemicals or genetically
modified organisms. Some of these products are low in toxicity and considered minimum-risk pesticides.
However, one must remember that just because a pesticide is organic, does not mean that it is 100%
"safe."
The Pesticide Specialist described ways to identify low-risk or "green" products such as:
The specialist also discussed ways to minimize the use of pesticides when dealing with
fleas by using
an Integrated Pest
Management (IPM)
approach. Finally, the Pesticide Specialist
mentioned additional
ways to minimize the risk to her, her family, and the environment. If she chooses to use a pesticide,
follow
safe use practices and
read and follow the
label instructions.
