Pesticide Safety
The Pesticide Safety Education Program (PSEP) provides training for people in Alaska who:
- apply restricted use pesticides
- apply any pesticides on property other than their own or their employers
- apply pesticides on public school (K-12) grounds and facilities
All of these situations require the applicator to be a certified pesticide applicator
with the Alaska DEC Pesticide Branch.
The secondary purpose of PSEP is to provide consumers and the public with information
on pesticide safety and pesticide hazards. The program encourages communication between
pesticide safety educators, pesticide regulators, pesticide applicators and the public.
PSEP is a workforce training program and an environmental conservation program.
Pesticide Safety Education Program Training Math Problems
Events
A three-day certified pesticide applicator training course is scheduled for Jan. 28-30, 2025, with a second course planned for April 22-24, 2025.
Both courses will be taught by the University Alaska Fairbanks Cooperative Extension Service via Zoom and are available statewide. Each class will meet from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and is designed to help participants understand and pass the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation exam.
For more information or to register, visit https://bit.ly/PSEPtraining
Part of our program includes 8 self-paced online classes that qualify for CEUs for Certified Pesticide Applicators. The classes are available online for free, but if CEUs are desired there is a registration fee. Course topics include bird vetch, controlling the spread of invasive plants and more.
Pesticide safety is a matter of public concern. All pesticides are poisons. Pesticides should only be used to control a known pest and only when other, less toxic options have been tried and failed. Pesticides should always be part of an integrated pest management system.
Consumers should be aware that the federal Food Quality Protection Act of 1996 gave EPA categorical authority to exclude pest control products which may include any of 63 naturally occurring substances as exempt for EPA regulations. These products, often marketed as poison free are untested as to their hazard to human health, the environment and non target organisms, or on their ability to control pests.
Information from the National Pesticide Information Center!
Common Pesticide Question:
Dirty Work Clothes: How Should I Wash Out Pesticides?
http://npic.orst.edu/capro/DirtyClothes.pdf
To browse the whole collection of Fact Sheets, visit this site:
http://npic.orst.edu/npicfact.htm
Signal Words Topic Fact Sheet from the National Pesticide Information Center
The Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation Pesticide Control Program hosts a website that allows you to search for pesticide products for use in Alaska: https://www.kellysolutions.com/ak/pesticideindex.htm
Pesticide product registration is regulated by the State of Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation. You can register pesticide products through their website: https://dec.alaska.gov/eh/pest/registration/
The Pesticide Control Program is the Alaska regulatory body that regulates the use, disposal, storage, and sale of pesticides. On this website you can find information about:
- Bed Bugs
- Integrated Pest Management
- Pesticide-Use Permits
- Pesticides and Water Quality
Information regarding Pesticides and Endangered Species (EPA) can be found through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
The Pesticide Safety Training Program is a partnership between the
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
- USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA)
- State of Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation – Pesticide Branch (ADEC)
- University of Alaska Fairbanks Cooperative Extension Service
This work is supported by the Crop Protection and Pest Management Program (grant no. 2021-70006-35561) from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture