PESTICIDE ALERT!

Image courtesy of Ken Alan

The purpose of this page is to provide information on pesticide use in West Vincent Township, toxicity research on specific chemicals and tools for implementing safer landscape practices. Pesticides is a general term that includes herbicides, insecticides, rodenticides, and fungicides.

THESE RESOURCES ARE SHARED COURTESY OF THE NONPROFIT BEYOND PESTICIDES

šŸ The Gateway on Pesticide Hazards and Safe Pest Management

database provides access to scientific literature on pesticide hazards and safe pest management. Gateway is a search tool for individual pesticides by active ingredient or trade name and alternatives to pesticides and chemical fertilizers. The trade name is a common name for the product, whereas the active ingredients are the chemicals in the product.Ā 

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To find the active ingredients or product trade name for query in Gateway, follow these steps.Ā Ā 
  1. Register for the PA Hypersensitivity Registry which requires pesticide applicators to notify registrants of pesticide applications within 500 feet of their home, work or school 24 hours prior to application.Ā 
  2. When contacted, ask what products are being applied by their trade name. You can also ask for the list of active ingredients in each trade name.
  3. If you are not on the Hypersensitive Registry, contact the company applying the pesticides and request trade names of the pesticides.
  4. When you call the pesticide company, have the exact address and date of application and request:
      • Active Ingredient(s) of each pesticide applied. This information is the most reliable data when researching potential pesticide effects.
      • Product or Trade name.
  5. If you can only get the product or trade name, you can find the active ingredient via:
      • An online search using the product name
      • Google the ā€œSDSā€ (Safety Data Sheet) for the product name.
      • The SDS will list the active ingredient(s)
  6. Enter the product name or active ingredient name in the Gateway link on the West Vincent Township Pesticide Alert Page. Type the first few letters and select the correct option from the dropdown menu.
  7. Pesticide Trade names change frequently. If you need help finding pesticide information see Beyond Pesticidesā€™Ā Ā Resources page.Ā 

Notes

  • Trade name = product name
  • Active ingredient = chemical(s) in the product
  • Gateway helps identify safer alternatives to pesticides and synthetic fertilizers.

šŸ Children and Pesticides Donā€™t Mix Ā https://www.beyondpesticides.org/programs/children-and-schools/hazards-of-pesticides.

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šŸ Pets and Pesticides Donā€™t Mix. Ā https://www.beyondpesticides.org/resources/pets.

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šŸ Ā The Pesticide-Induced Diseases Database tracks the hazards associated with pesticide exposure via independent peer-reviewed studies that link pesticides to a range of chronic diseases, including cancer, reproductive harm, neurological illness, respiratory disease, autism and learning disabilities, Parkinsonā€™s, Alzheimerā€™s, and diabetes.Ā 

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Image courtesy of Sarah Rypma via Canva
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PA Hypersensitivity Registry To be informed of pesticide applications near your home, work, or school, you may register here. Pesticide applicators are required to notify persons on the registry when a pesticide application will be made within 500 feet of the listingā€™s home, work, or school. Ā Information on the Registry.

Image courtesy of Ken Alan

šŸ Ā The Safer Choice is a guide to pesticide alternatives for effective management of pests such as insects, rodents and weeds. Click here for the brochure.Ā 

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šŸ Ā ManageSafeā„¢ offers a searchable database of alternatives to pesticides for managing insects, weeds, and rodents effectively and eliminating exposure to harmful toxic chemicals indoors and outdoors.Ā 

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šŸ Tools for Change offers concrete examples of local Ecological Pest Management strategies, common chemicals used on lawns and landscapes and their health and environmental effects, examples of pesticide free parks, and takes note of personal testimonies.

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šŸ Preemption Explained: Pennsylvaniaā€™s preemption law prevents towns and counties from enacting stricter pesticide regulations than those set by the State. Local policy change is still possible on public property: model ordinance to eliminate synthetic pesticide use on public (township) property.

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šŸ Pending federal legislation (factsheet) would shield pesticide and chemical manufactures from liability lawsuits. This ā€œfailure to warnā€ potential federal and state legislation is currently pending. See Failure-to-Warn Resource Hub.

For more information on native gardens and healthy landscape initiatives, please visit the WVT Environmental Advisory Council (EAC) Page.Ā 

BEE Protectiveā€”remember to manage landscapes with pollinators in mind! šŸ

For more tools and resources, see Beyond Pesticidesā€™ Resources page