Starting This Fall Paraquat Training Will Be Required For All Paraquat-Containing Products
DR. LARRY STECKEL
JACKSON, TENN.
The EPA will be requiring that anyone who purchases, mixes or applies a paraquat containing herbicide to take the “How to Safely Use and Handle Paraquat-Containing Products” online training module. My understanding is that this training will need to be completed before the new paraquat labels come out in mid-November of this year and certainly before the burndown season of 2020. The training module is now available and can be taken anytime. The training will be good for three years.
The training was developed by paraquat manufacturers as part of EPA’s 2016 risk mitigation requirements and is approved by the EPA. There is no charge for this training.
Successful completion of the course satisfies the paraquat training requirement mandated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for all certified applicators who intend to apply paraquat. “In accordance with EPA’s 2016 Paraquat Dichloride Human Health Mitigation Decision, applicators are required to take an EPA-approved paraquat training program every 3 years in order to mix, load, apply, or handle paraquat.”
I took the training and spent about 45 minutes going through it and the quiz at the end. As a first time user, I did have to set up an account with eXtension by clicking on the link below. It took about 10 minutes for me to set up an account. Once you have finished reviewing the material, you will need to take the Final Assessment. You must correctly answer all questions in order to pass the quiz and receive your certificate. You can take the test as many times as you need to in order to pass. Be sure to print and retain your certificate when you are finished.
This training is being administered by the national eXtension and not directly from University of Tennessee Extension. The training has only been available for about 10 days and, across the country, 540 folks have taken it and received a certificate. Judging from recent discussions a good number of those are from the Volunteer State.
The link for the training is: https://campus.extension.org/course/view.php?id=1660 . ∆
DR. LARRY STECKEL: Extension Weed Specialist, University of Tennessee