Massachusetts Pesticide Use, Notification and Records
About 5 of every 50 questions on a Massachusetts Core practice exam come from this topic.
Sources checked
What to know
Massachusetts bars using a pesticide inconsistently with its labeling or MDAR's restrictions; restricted use products are used only by certified applicators or competent people under direct supervision, which needs an available, responsible supervisor but not one on site. Operational records list place, date, product, EPA registration number, amount, purpose, method, people involved, pollution incidents, reported illnesses and liability insurance; they are kept three years and shown to MDAR on demand, and significant accidents are reported within 48 hours. 333 CMR 13.00 requires anti-siphonage devices, MDAR approval for restricted applications over 25 acres, DANGER signs near public ways posted 2 to 24 hours ahead and removed within 48 hours after the REI, and no false claims. Mosquito-program exclusions start 14 days after receipt and end December 31. Aerial work needs Category 34, stays 150 feet from people and vehicles on public ways, and agricultural aerial work stops on visible drift; termiticide work needs Category 43 or its supervision. Lawn signs stay 24 to 72 hours, golf courses post at sign-in and the first and tenth tees, bee-warning products on blooming crops need an apiary check within 2.5 miles and 24 hours' notice, and indoor work offers notice 7 days to 48 hours ahead and uses secured bait stations. Utilities notify towns 21 days and newspapers 48 hours before right-of-way spraying, keeping 50 feet from private wells and ten feet from wetlands. Schools give two working days' notice, post 72 hours, need an IPM plan, keep records five years, and keep outdoor work 150 feet from students.
Where it comes from
- M.G.L. c. 132B, §§ 2, 6A, 6B
- M.G.L. c. 132B, §§ 6C, 6D, 6I
- 333 CMR 10.14
- 333 CMR 13.02 to 13.08
- 333 CMR 11.04, 11.05; 333 CMR 12.03
- 333 CMR 14.04, 14.09
Try a practice question
Under M.G.L. c. 132B, § 6A, which use of a registered pesticide is prohibited?
- AUse at any rate that falls within the range the label allows
- BUse by a licensed applicator working for hire
- CUse inconsistent with its labeling or MDAR restrictions
- DUse on property that the applicator does not own
Show the answer
Use inconsistent with its labeling or MDAR restrictions. Section 6A bars using a registered pesticide in a manner inconsistent with its labeling or other restrictions imposed by the department. Licensed applicators may work for hire on others' land, and a rate within the label's range is consistent with the labeling.
M.G.L. c. 132B, § 6A