National Pesticide Safety Education Month spotlights resources to support safe pesticide handling and use

February is National Pesticide Safety Education Month and an opportune time to review pesticide safety practices at your home or business. The Weed Science Society of America (WSSA), the American Phytopathological Society (APS), and the Entomological Society of America (ESA) are among the many organizations that promote pesticide safety awareness during February and throughout the year.

"Every day requires caution and care to ensure safe pesticide use, but February – and National Pesticide Safety Education Month – is an especially appropriate time to carefully examine current best safety practices," says Lee Van Wychen, Ph.D., WSSA executive director of science policy. "It is important for each of us to focus on safety to protect ourselves, others and the environment during pesticide transport, storage, application and disposal."

The National Pesticide Safety Education Month webpage contains a quiz to check your knowledge of basic pesticide safety principles, as well as a self-assessment to evaluate your own pesticide safety practices at home and at work. The site also includes quizzes on pesticide storage, pesticide drift, wildlife protection, and other quizzes and educational resources produced by Land Grant University Pesticide Safety Education Programs.

"The goal is to have a safe home environment, healthy crops, successful conservation efforts, agricultural worker protection and more – all of which require safe pesticide handling and use," Van Wychen says.