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Frequent Questions
Emergency Information
Poison Control Center
- 1-800-222-1222
National Pesticide Information Center 
- 1-800-858-7378
General | Consumers
| Applicators | Farm and
Agricultural Workers
Mosquito
Control
| Product Labeling
General
- Where can I get information on a specific pesticide product?
- What is Integrated Pest Management?
- What is the Food Quality Protection Act (FQPA)?
- Pesticides are tested on animals. How relevant is that for humans?
- What are antimicrobial products and how do they work?
- How does the government regulate pesticides?
Where can I get information on a specific pesticide product?
If you have questions concerning a specific pesticide product, contact
the National Pesticide Information Center (NPIC) either via telephone
at 1-800-858-7378, or via e-mail at npic@ace.orst.edu.
For more information about NPIC, visit the NPIC Web site, http://npic.orst.edu/.
What is Integrated Pest Management (IPM)?
Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is a system of practices designed to choose the most economical and environmentally friendly course of action in controlling pests. Fundamental to IPM is the concept of "Know what the problem is before you apply pesticides." The principles of IPM can be used at home, in schools, in commercial settings, and in agriculture. Scouting the crops for pest infestation and comparing the cost of pest damage with the threshold cost of pesticide application helps to reach a decision on when to spray or not to spray. Crop rotation is also a practice in the IPM tool kit that can reduce the need for pesticides to control such damaging pests as the corn rootworm and soybean cyst nematode. Similarly, in a household or school setting, determining what pests are present at what level and trying pest prevention methods such as eliminating sources of food, water, and shelter for the problem pests often will provide adequate control.
What is the Food Quality Protection Act (FQPA)?
This law amended the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA). It strengthened the health-based safety standard for pesticide residues in all foods. It uses "a reasonable certainty of no harm" as the general safety standard. It requires EPA to consider all non-occupational sources of exposure, including drinking water and residential exposure. It requires evaluation of exposure to other pesticides with a common mechanism of toxicity when setting tolerances.