Pesticide Hazards and First Aid | North Carolina DACS Approved

Instructor: Gene Merkl

Pesticides are designed to be toxic to living organisms so they can control pests (e.g., plants, insects, rodents,
fungi, and bacteria). At the same time, pesticides must be used with special care to avoid harming nontarget organisms, including pesticide applicators, handlers, and anyone else exposed to the product. Pesticides can have both short-term
and long-term effects on humans. As a result, pesticide users need to be concerned with the hazards associated
with exposure to the chemical and not exclusively with the toxicity of the pesticide.

After completing this course participants will be able to:

• Identify common exposure routes for various pesticides and application methods.
• Discuss the appropriate first aid response to oral, ocular, dermal, and inhalation exposures to pesticides.
• Explain the hazard level classification system for pesticides, including the corresponding signal words.