Applying Pesticides Correctly
A Guide for Private and Commercial Applicators
This guide was modified from the Applying Pesticides Correctly
A Guide for Private and Commercial Applicators
Bulletin 825
Published by the Ohio State University, 1992.
ii
PREFACE
This manual represents the second revision of "Applying Pesticides Correctly -- A Guide for Private and
Commercial Applicators." The series began with separate guides for private and commercial applicators published
jointly by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in
1975. Those manuals were a part of the initial implementation of the applicator training requirements of the
Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act of 1972. They established a threshold level of information
necessary for applicators seeking initial certification.
The first revision, in 1983, recognized the need for private and commercial applicators to have a common
basis of knowledge about pesticide use. It combined the two 1974 publications into an expanded and updated
"core" manual for use by both groups of applicators. Produced by North Carolina State University and Information
Impact, in cooperation with USDA and EPA, it included new information and represented a step towards more
depth of knowledge for certified applicators.
This second revision reflects the continuing evolution of the applicator certification program. Pesticide use
has become more complex. Safe, responsible pesticide use has become increasingly important to human health and
environmental quality. This new manual includes much new information about the effects of pesticides and how to
ensure that they can continue to be used for the benefit of society with a minimum of risk to either people or the
environment.
Another major change is in the focus of the manual. The previous versions, while giving much basic
information, were slanted toward agric