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Subject: Orange County, NC Beekeepers

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  • From: Lewis Cauble <lewis AT hivebody.com>
  • To: ocba AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: [ocba] Pesticides, PPE, and Labels
  • Date: Fri, 22 Feb 2013 21:15:56 -0500 (EST)

Thom,

Generally I agree.  I have bare handed it plenty.  It does not burn me but about 2 weeks later the skin on my hand turns brown and peels.  That is probably not good.  Now when I am treating I use the thin nitrile gloves and put on 1 pair of gloves for every two hives that I am treating.  If I am treating 12 colonies in a yard, I will put 6 pairs of gloves on, one on top of the other.  The top glove starts to deteriorate after treating 2 or 3 colonies.  I simply peel off the tired glove and use the new one below it for the next 2 or 3 colonies.  I usually have 1 or 2 intact gloves on my hands at the end.  

 

The deal with all of this personal protective equipment is that it is required by law.  Pesticide labels specify what must be worn and the label is the law.  To legally apply MAQS, the label indicates:

 

Applicators and other handlers must wear coveralls over a long-sleeved shirt, long pants, socks and shoes, acid resistant gloves (PVC, neoprene, or nitrile), and protective eyewear. Wear a respirator with an organic-vapor removing cartridge with a prefilter approved for pesticides (MSHA/NIOSH approval number prefix TC-23C), or a canister approved for pesticides (MSHA/NIOSH approval number prefix TC-14G), or a NIOSH approved respirator with an organic vapor (OV) cartridge or canister with any N, R, P or HE prefilter. Clean or replace PPE at end of each day’s work period. Rinse off pesticides at rest breaks. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for cleaning/maintaining PPE. If no such instructions for washables exist, use detergent and hot water. Keep and wash PPE separately from other laundry. 

 

Those are the rules to legally use MAQS. 

 

I used a half mask this year with some not very good goggles and at the end of the day (treated ~30 colonies) my eyes were a bit tender.  Wearing the mask protects your lungs, but it takes away the feedback loop.  Without the mask you know when there are high concentrations near your face and you can move out of them.  With the half mask you can hold the pad near your face and not smell it.  Fine for your lungs, but the eyes will complain later that day.  Next year I will use a full mask that will protect my eyes.  

 

I want everyone to read and understand the label before they use any pesticide.  All pesticide labels are readily available online so you can read the label before you order/purchase.  I work with pesticides on a daily basis and have a commercial demonstration and research pesticide license. I will be happy to try to answer any question anyone has. Biggest point is read the label!  

 

Link to MAQS label

Link to Apiguard label (Requires less PPE)

How to read a pesticide label.

 

Lewis 

 


On February 22, 2013 at 12:30 PM Thomas Grizzle <griz AT mindspring.com> wrote:

> Hi All,
>
> Responding briefly to the discussion on the use of formic acid, certainly in
> high concentrations on the wrong tissue (eyes, for example), FA can be
> harmful.  If you are working with the liquid on an industrial scale
> (multiple hives, working all day, etc.), some kind of eye protection (safety
> glasses with splash guards) might be a good idea, along with a water bottle
> nearby to flush the eyes out if you get an exposure.  If you are using a
> veil, the bee veil itself should also protect the eyes, making glasses
> unnecessary.  Skin should be flushed with water too if you get a splash onto
> bare skin.  FA is readily soluble in water.
>
> Given that "bee people" are almost 100% outdoors with the FA, I do not think
> that inhalation exposures you might incur would be high enough to be
> considered hazardous, and definitely not compared to something like exposure
> to first/second hand smoke or if you drink alcohol (all proven human
> carcinogens).  If you start to smell it, I suggest you move away until it
> clears, then return if you are concerned.  Coincidentally, FA is a component
> of bee stings, and Wikipedia says that the word Formic originates from a
> Latin word for a distillate of insect bodies.  Forests off-gas a lot of
> formic acid, it also says, so just walking in the woods, we incur some
> inhalation exposure, and that is fine.  We metabolize (break it down) it
> quickly and excrete it's harmless by-products (CO2 + H2O).
>
> Anyway, there's no harm in using respirators, but it is probably overkill,
> in my humble opinion.  Hot too!
>
> Tom Grizzle, MS, DABT
> (Diplomate, American Board of Toxicology)
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Message: 1
> Date: Thu, 21 Feb 2013 17:03:24 -0500
> From: Chris and Lisa Laudeman <chrisandlisa AT laudeman.com>
> Subject: [ocba] Repiratory protection and beekeepers - topic from last
>         meeting
> To: OCBA <ocba AT lists.ibiblio.org>
> Message-ID:
>         <CADTEKLr0P2wdE8g75K-cZC=JXHUPY8GQ4u=mFjd7_y-toOhw3w AT mail.gmail.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
>
> Hello Beekeepers,
>
> At last week's meeting, Geneva brought up the issue of protecting ourselves
> from things like formic acid while treating hives.  The discussion quickly
> turned to "respirators" and the need for full face protection to protect our
> eyes as well as lungs.
>
> However, some significant issues quickly came up.  After chatting with
> Geneva, she asked if I would post a note about this. . .especially since I
> have a viable and maybe affordable solution.
>
> While formic acid is not among the nastiest things I might work with, it is
> volatile and corrosive, especially in pure form, and especially for eyes,
> lungs, and mucous membranes.  It's also somewhat toxic.  If you are using
> it, you certainly should be aware of the hazards and taking some
> precautions.
>
> A full face respirator can afford excellent protection against an organic
> vapor like formic acid, but there are some deal-killer issues with a
> respirator for the average beekeeper.  To ensure proper function and safety
> with a respirator, you need to have a lung function test, chest x-ray, and
> approval from a qualified physician.
> Then you need to have a respirator fit test and cannot have a beard or razor
> stubble.  Respirators are expensive and need to be cleaned after each use,
> stored carefully, and occasionally inspected and fit-tested.
>  The good ones are expensive too.
>
> However, there is an alternative that is not only approved by safety
> authorities but also reasonably accessible to average folks:  A powered air
> purifying respirator.  It's basically a hood with a face shield that is
> supplied with purified air by a pump system.  There are many varieties.  For
> a beekeeper, the basic requirements would be battery powered and organic
> vapor rated.  I would also want simple and lightweight.
>
> Here is an appropriate example from 3M marketed for painters (of course I'm
> not endorsing anything here):
> http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/3M/en_US/PPESafetySolutions/PPESafety/Per
> sonal_Protective_Equipment/Product_Catalog/~/3M-Belt-Mounted-PAPR-Painter-s-
> Kit-GVP-PSK2-37335-AAD-1-Case?N=4294698593+5011378&Nr=AND%28hrcy_id%3APGTC60
> 33RZgs_2NVXB3T4PX_N2RL3FHWVK_GPD0K8BC31gv%29&loc=en_US&plmlblid=127368423925
> 4&rt=d
>
> Boy that's a long URL link.  I hope it works.  That's 3M product number
> GVP-PSK2 in case you need to look it up that way.  I'm sure we can find
> something comparable that is cheaper.
>
> They still have issues:  expense, replacing cartridges, cleaning, etc., but
> the discussion can carry on from here if folks think this is something they
> are interested in.
>
> Take care,
>
> Chris
>
>
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