# How dangerous are these chemicals? Ever spill any on yourself?



## kb02gt (Aug 23, 2019)

This question come mainly beause of the Dismiss label which says you have to throw away your clothes if any part of it gets saturated. I'm curious if you guys ever spilled or had any herbacide get on you, and if so what happened?


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## The Anti-Rebel (Feb 16, 2019)

The key word there is saturated. Ive gotten products on my skin before, you just have to wash it off as quickly as possible and learn to be more careful. All products should have this information on the label as well as a material safety data sheet available.

here's some more information about signal words. http://npic.orst.edu/factsheets/signalwords.pdf

Dismiss carries the "caution" label.


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## mowww (Jan 16, 2018)

ALWAYS wear your PPE. Whether string trimming or spraying it only takes a second to lose an eye or cause irreversible damage. That said, many products are pretty benign, but there is no substitute for good/safe technique and proper PPE.

I've spilled above my glove line, lots of soap and water as instructed on the label. Aside from the abrasion from scrubbing, everything was fine.


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## daniel3507 (Jul 31, 2018)

I'll admit that I should really be more careful. I've had some close calls with the string trimmer and not eye protection. I don't wear gloves or even closed toed footwear when mixing spraying chemicals.


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## Movingshrub (Jun 12, 2017)

If all else fails, look at the precautionary statement on the label; caution vs warning vs danger.


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## TN Hawkeye (May 7, 2018)

daniel3507 said:


> I'll admit that I should really be more careful. I've had some close calls with the string trimmer and not eye protection. I don't wear gloves or even closed toed footwear when mixing spraying chemicals.


I can attest to the importance of eye protection while spraying, even though I don't always practice what I preach now. This was not a lawn chemical but the situation could easily happen. I was spraying lightly diluted bleach from a cheap 1 gallon sprayer when the connection from the hose to the tank popped off. Direct hit in the right eye and face. Luckily my contacts caused the bleach to splash to the white part of my eye. It's an interesting feeling laying with your eye forced open being flushed for 30 minutes with water. Always double check the connections on any sprayer.


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## FlowRider (Apr 7, 2019)

I use blue marker dye to see where I have already sprayed, but it has a greater value in showing you if you have any chemical come in contact with your skin.

I always glove up, wear eye pro, long sleeves, long pants, and mix over cardboard on epoxy coated garage floor. It makes cleanup much easier. I do have some spills and sloshes once in awhile, and the wand tip will dribble - I need to buy a check valve....

My high school chemistry teacher used to have us transfer water with food color in it from beaker to jars and he insisted on us not spilling a drop. You had to transfer over white paper; he walked around and if he saw food dye, you got a lower grade for the day. He was tough but I learned how to pour chemicals without making a huge mess. It is all about focus and controlled movements.... 

Rumor had it this guy was married twice, and both times his wife hung themselves. I know why.... :shock:


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## Greendoc (Mar 24, 2018)

Being careful and deliberate of movement when handling chemicals is one of the best safety precautions. I have seen people all garbed up just super sloppy spilling and dripping everywhere. They would not live long if that is how they handled chemicals.


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## LoCutt (Jul 29, 2019)

TN Hawkeye said:


> ... Direct hit in the right eye and face.


You are so fortunate.

Before I got into the lawn maintenance business, I formed the habit of always wearing eye protection. I required my employees to use eye protection as well. Fortunately, I've had low exposure to chemicals except Roundup which was lauded as being very safe at the time. I can't say the same for my dented and cut legs. I'm leery of chemicals now.


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## kb02gt (Aug 23, 2019)

The first time I used a battery powered sprayer. I left the sprayer nozzle opened. As soon as I picked up the tank and set it back down stuff starting shooting out all over the place, not too terribly, but had some cleaning up to do. Thank goodness it was only liquid fertilizer i had in there.


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## Gilley11 (Nov 3, 2019)

I've had gasoline shot straight in my eye, that was an awesome experience.

Carb cleaner is always fun, I've learned to always wear glasses while using that stuff.


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## erdons (Apr 3, 2018)

Do it once and you'll be ok, do it repeatedly over a long period of time and you will have problems down the line.


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## FlowRider (Apr 7, 2019)

I remember going into a cyanide processing facility that handled everything from cyanide gas cylinders to cyanide crystals. Basically, anything that came into contact with your skin, eyes, mouth, nose, or ears had the potential to poison you, or to kill you, slowly, or quickly, depending on how much you were exposed to and how quickly you received emergency medical help. In other words, you had to be very careful with every move you made, and I was covered head to toes in chemically resistant Tyvek coveralls, full face respirator with self-contained breathing apparatus on standby, and multiple pairs of gloves in layers, as well as multiple layers of clothing, and doubled up boots.

That place was covered in vats, glove boxes, tanks, blast walls, emergency spill containment equipment, deluge showers, deluge eye wash stations (fountains to flush your eyes out after you yanked the chain to dump water over your body head to toe), catwalks over blinded off sumps with automatic pumps to suction up liquids, and fire suppression, explosion suppression via nitrogen gas blanketing, and ambulances on site 24-7/365. Chemicals that will kill you, or kill you very quickly....

What I learned is never put yourself into a position of exposure if you can avoid it, and if you must risk exposure, take every precaution you can, and then double up on it wherever possible. Fail safe.

I have seen chemical incidents that ricocheted people into the roof of tanks, blasted men up into the air so high they can be seen by nearby air traffic controllers as they were "flying" as "unidentified" and have had men die in toxic clouds, fires, and explosions while others passed blood in their urine. I have had men snap their spines and never walk again from mishandling chemicals in equipment.

I handled a train derailment where chlorine gas turned an unprotected rider ("hobo") into a fatality when the chlorine he was exposed to hugged the ground and turned his lungs into leather.

I am aware of men who handled chemicals that turned their bones from calcium to black carbon while they were still alive. I say that because they are no longer alive. Tragedies, every one of them.

Contact with hazardous chemicals, including pesticides and herbicides of certain classifications, especially poisons and acids, should be avoided to the maximum extent possible. There is more than one reason the governments require professional (for profit) applicators to obtain licenses.

Even now, if I get a fly speck on my skin, and it can happen to ANYONE, I wash it until I cannot see blue anymore, and then I rinse it for even longer. There is risk in doing anything; control what you can. Accidents do not just happen - there is always a root cause. Do not let that root cause be you.

You only get one pair of eyes, one pair of ears, and one pair of appendages. And only one life. So....


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## Greendoc (Mar 24, 2018)

I spent the first 1/3 of my life handling Paraquat and Organophosphates. Grandfather's farm. Memorable words from him were "the hospital is an hour away. This might kill you before we can get you there"


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## reidgarner (Jun 18, 2018)

Legend has it Roundup salesmen used to drink roundup at trade shows back in the 80s and 90s to prove it was non toxic. Only problem is there are none of said salesmen left anymore to verify this claim.


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## FATC1TY (Jul 12, 2017)

I work in an industry with pretty hazardous chemicals. HazMat enough to remove people from their homes should I spill.

Yard stuff though- I spray post emergents and fertilizers/iron barefoot and in shorts. Usually rinse off outside and shower immediately after. Still not the greatest thing but I don't cover myself in it, I use glasses if I'm mixing and causing splashing, and more importantly I measure correctly, store and use precautions after applications.


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## TN Hawkeye (May 7, 2018)

FATC1TY said:


> I work in an industry with pretty hazardous chemicals. HazMat enough to remove people from their homes should I spill.
> 
> Yard stuff though- I spray post emergents and fertilizers/iron barefoot and in shorts. Usually rinse off outside and shower immediately after. Still not the greatest thing but I don't cover myself in it, I use glasses if I'm mixing and causing splashing, and more importantly I measure correctly, store and use precautions after applications.


Isn't that kind of like a NASCAR driver only doing 100 on the highway because he usually does 200 on the track?


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## Stellar P (Apr 13, 2018)

I don't go full PPE for my safety. I do it to freak my neighbors out. Keep your dog out of my yard, Tom! (Sarcasm)
But really, Cancer is a F###ing B##ch! Wear your PPE my dudes.


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