Making sense of re-entry interval laws

Mich. St. Univ. Extension horticulture agent Jeanne Himmelein said she can understand how some greenhouse operators can become confused when determining when workers can enter a greenhouse area after the application of an insecticide, fungicide or growth regulator. She said two laws apply when a chemical is applied in a production facility. The first law is the chemical label and it should be followed. The second law is the federal Worker Protection Standard (WPS).
The confusion occurs, Himmlein said, when a grower needs to understand both the label and the WPS rules to determine entry into a treated area. To help clarify these laws Himmelein has developed a document “Worker Protection Standards: Who and When Can Someone Enter a Treated and Untreated Area in Your Greenhouse?” She said the document is intended to help clarify the laws associated with the label and WPS on some of the commonly used pesticides in the greenhouses. She said growers should always refer to the pesticide label and the EPA’s “How to Comply” documents.

Pictured: Pesticide labels and the Worker Protection Standard should be used to determine when greenhouse workers can re-enter a chemically-treated area.