Hi all. I recently started using Bonide Systemic to take care of some pest issues. I recently became nervous after reading more into some of its carcinogenic effects. Should I be concerned? Most of my 10-15 plants have been sprinkled with the granules and watered. I did this about 4-6 weeks ago. Can the toxins still be inhaled? Just nervous health wise thank you!
I think you are okay. Wash hands after use- don’t touch eyes or mouth. You are not ingesting it and they are granules not powder. However I would use sparingly.
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Pesticides have to be evaluated for safety from the EPA, so they are fairly safe, but there have been info coming out recently saying that we need more long-term studies because they can potentially be a carcinogen. So yes it’s a good idea to just use them occasionally. If you want a safe long-term pest treatment, I recommend looking into beneficial mites For just occasional pests, I use diluted isopropyl alcohol
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most carcinogens need to come in contact with your nose/mouth/eyes directly, so you shouldn’t have any issues with inhaling anything, especially this far out. in the future i would treat your plants outside with it so any extra dust doesn’t end up in your house. you can always wear a regular surgical mask while you’re doing it if you’re concerned!
1 like Thank you all! Thankfully I’ve only really done one application with this product. I will try to use it on a rare occasion going forward and for any pest that do some up try to use a combination of Neem oil, hydrogen peroxide and beneficial insects like nematodes
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