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PestiBytes Episode 6: Dirty Work Clothes: How Should I Wash Out Pesticides?
Introduction/Conclusion: Dr. Dave Stone, Director of the National Pesticide Information Center
Host: Sandra Uesugi, EHSC Outreach Program Coordinator
Guest: Rachelle, NPIC Pesticide Specialist
[THEME MUSIC]
DR. STONE: Welcome to PestiBytes, a podcast series from the National Pesticide Information Center. These are based on common pesticide questions from people just like you.
[THEME MUSIC]
SANDRA: This is Sandra and I'm here again with Rachelle. Rachelle, should clothes that have pesticides on them be washed with the household laundry?
RACHELLE: Clothes that have pesticides should be stored and washed separately to avoid contamination to other clothes.
SANDRA: Doesn't the washing process remove the pesticides from clothes?
RACHELLE: Well, it depends. If clothes are worn during an application, a few wash cycles will remove most of the pesticides. However, if they were soaked with a pesticide, they should be thrown away rather than placed in the laundry.
SANDRA: Why is it important to remove pesticides from clothes?
RACHELLE: Sandra, pesticide products can rub off the clothes and onto your skin. This exposure could continue as long as the clothing is being worn. In some cases, that's 10-14 hours. This contact can be minimized through proper washing and drying of work clothes after each and every pesticide application.
[THEME MUSIC]
DR. STONE: If you have questions about pesticides, please call us at 1-800-858-7378 or visit us on the web at
http://npic.orst.edu.
PestiBytes is brought to you by the National Pesticide Information Center, a cooperative agreement between
Oregon State University and
the
Environmental Protection Agency. These are produced in collaboration with OSU's
Environmental Health
Sciences Center, funded by the
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.
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If you have questions about this, or any pesticide-related topic, please call NPIC at 1-800-858-7378 (8:00am - 12:00pm PST), or email at npic@ace.orst.edu.
Last updated May 10, 2011
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