Here's how to meet new pesticide handling requirements

Now that the holidays are over, it’s time to prepare for the growing season ahead.

New federal regulations for pesticide handling went into effect as of Aug. 16 which mainly pertain to re-sellers. But if you handle bulk pesticides in portable refillable containers (commonly known as mini-bulks or shuttles), they affect you as well.
 
Over the years, mini-bulks have become the main mode of transportation for pesticides, but they haven’t always been the most reliable.

Mixing of multiple chemicals has led to improper application and field damage, tanks have been illegally discarded in secluded areas, and overexposure to vapors and residue has led to medical complications for handlers. Those issues should be addressed through new requirements for these tanks.

Going forward, the mini-bulk containers must be designed as a “one-way” tank, meaning that product can only be dispensed from the tank without breaking the tamper-evident seal.

To accomplish this, you have a couple of options. For those of you with a top-mounted pump, you can wire seal your pump to the tank’s cage and then wire seal shut the bottom outlet.

For those of you who draw product from the bottom outlet, you need to retrofit your tanks with a new one-way valve. That way, product can only leave the tank and you can control the quality of the product inside the tank.

One of the keys to this regulation is that you will not be able to have your tank refilled by your supplier unless it meets the regulations. You also are required to have a unique identifier on each tank as well as documentation regarding testing and inspection dates.

As mentioned before, all of the openings on the tank, excluding vents, must have a wire and tamper-evident seal attached to ensure the tank has not been tampered with. For more information on the equipment used to retrofit these tanks, contact your local FS member cooperative.