Hand Sanitizer is a pesticide?

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I got an e mail after attending the CSNO conference about Pesticides. I just started school nursing in October. In July of this year, the State of CA is doing a bunch of shenanigans because they think lots of rules are awesome. Hand sanitizer, sanitizing wipes, etc are now considered a pesticide. As such, now there are levels of "training" required so we all know I guess not to eat these items or something.

I know school nursing is it's own beast, but just when I think we cannot be regulated even more, BOOM, here we go.

Am I just behind the knowledge curve here, or is "everyone" doing this?

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Specializes in School Nurse. Having conversations with littles..

Sorry. I am not much help. I have never heard of this.

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Specializes in School Nursing, Hospice,Med-Surg.

Well, then I have been keeping a pump bottle of pesticide right here on my counter for all the kids to use when they visit. And I shall continue to refill PRN.

Of course, Georgia is a little slower than CA on the uptake when it comes to regulating these things. We are still supersizing our sodas down here.

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Required Training

I so wish I was making this up.

Honestly.

Thankfully I have my emotional support Louse at my desk to comfort me.

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Specializes in Pediatrics Retired.

I seems to me that if hand sanitizer was classified as a pesticide, considering a pint of sanitizer has enough alcohol to take down a moose, it would be considered too toxic for human contact. If a can of RAID was that potent you'd have to wear a hazmat suit just to handle it. Bureaucracy at its best.

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So we slather the kids with head lice in this pesticide ridden hand sanitizer and everyone is happy, right?!;)

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Nothing beats drowning myself in the ed code! The CDPR website says it "includes, but is not limited to disinfecting wipes, sanitizers, and weed-killers" but knowing who puts the info into those websites, they probably didn't read the actual law. I'm thinking (and hoping...can we just use our time to actually help our students?) that it applies to more toxic stuff.

Section 17610.5 says "antimicrobial pesticides, including sanitizers and disinfectants" are excluded.

CA Codes (edc:17608-17614)

I'm not a school nurse (but just got into nursing school!!) but am forever grateful to the insight you all give. Has anyone else come across this new regulation and what does your school do to maintain compliance with the HSA?

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I Had to watch the WHOLE video and read ALLLL the ed code to realize that hand sanitizer and all my wonderful germy wipes are governed by some other governmental agency. Yay! lol....

I spent 2 hours getting my mandatory certificate in learning to clean out the fridge, close doors, wash my dishes, and don't spray raid on wasps nests and children. I am so glad they done gone and told me that.....

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Sorry, that is BS. We use it everywhere. The CDC recommends it.

As a matter of fact, I am still going by this...

http://www.p12.nysed.gov/sss/schoolhealth/schoolhealthservices/handsanitzerfieldmemo.pdf

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We just make sure adults supervise the use of it.

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