How to Use the Pesticide Hotline

The federal EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) has set up a national pesticide hotline for those who want to report a safety issue or problem with pesticides. This can be a useful resource for people concerned about possible toxicology or with general questions about guidelines for pesticide use.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

1. Know your pesticides. Get the basic information on hand that you will want to talk about with pesticide professionals. Be able to name specific pesticides that you have questions about.
2. Consider your scenario. Think about what you would like to ask. Do you want to make sure a product is safe? Are you responsible for using the product or are you reporting another party that is using pesticides? Are you concerned about legal aspects of the use of a pesticide?
3. Call within the hours of operation. The EPA lists hours of operation for the hotline as 6:30 am to 4:30 pm (Pacific Time).
4. Call the National Pesticide Information Center (NPIC) toll free telephone service at 1-800-858-7378 or fax to 541-737-0761. For email inquiries, the EPA has provided [e-mail] as a contact email.
5. Let the professionals employed by federal agencies help you with a variety of information including pesticide label information, emergency human and animal treatment, safety practices and clean up and disposal. Be sure to provide these experts with as much information as you can to eliminate mix ups over different pesticides.

Tips & Warnings

• The EPA recently changed the name of the hotline. Initially, the pesticide hotline was called the National Pesticide Telecommunications Network (NPTN). It has only recently become the National Pesticide Information Center (NPIC). Don't let this confuse you when calling in.