Diazinon and veggies (tomatoes)

Factual Questions
1

So, my SO found some bugs on one of our Roma tomato plants, and (after trying other things like water+light detergent, etc) sprayed them with the first handy container of insecticide she found in the cupboard, which turned out to be an old sprayer of Ortho Bug B Gon, which contains Diazinon.

The tomatoes are heavily fruiting, so I was worried that there was a waiting period for harvesting after spraying. So I checked the label, which wasn’t more than a sticker with applications and warnings, with no information about spraying veggies, other than the general info that it was “ready to spray, Multi-Purpose Insect Killer, for Roses, Flowers, Shrubs, Vegetables, Lawns & around House Foundations.” The back label contained an Environmental Hazards statement that it kills birds and bees (uh oh). So, the label sanctions the product for use on veggies, but specifies no waiting period. Hmmm

So, off to google, which told me that Diazinon had been banned in 2004. And… not much else, except ads for New Ortho Bug B Gon (now without Diazinon! Yay!) If I search on “Diazinon harvest waiting period vegetables” or similar, I get some hints that there is a waiting period (up to seven days, says one), but “check the label” on the product you used. Ok, been there, done that.

So, will my tomatoes be safe to eat in seven days, or longer? Or should I chuck all the fruits? Or some combination? The product does say its okay on veggies. OTOH, the product was also banned, but I’d guess because of adverse affects on wildlife, which is a common reason things are banned.

2

OK, I did what I should have done in the first place, I called the manufacturer (I didn’t know insecticide vendors had tech support, cool). After some confusion on about which specific Bug B Gon I was using, the helpful person on the phone said the wait for harvesting is one day for that product used on tomatoes, and had a list of a bunch of other veggies with different harvest times. Phew!
*It’d be even better if they put this stuff up on the web. Grump.

3

You can also download the product instructions from the manufacturers site for any pesticides they make.

Diazinon is now banned. Stores had one year to sell product off. Consumers can use it legally until it’s used up. Stores can no longer sell it, so if you find a product on the shelf with it, report it.

4

I would have thought you could, but I couldn’t find this on the mfr web site (The Scotts Miracle Grow Company). For example, here’s the product info for the current version of Bug B Gon (the version after they removed Diazinon). There’s little up there - just some general information and the active ingredient. See the line that reads “Associated Plants – See packaging for details.” Hmmph.

5

Yours is a special case in that it’s reformulated. They will still have the information, just not linked on the website. They don’t want to confuse things for the current product, and get in trouble. I also find Ortho’s site is unclear on what you need to do to get the information. It’s a pain to find what you want, and the search doesn’t always turn up a product they make, but you can find it by navigating all the sub categories. I give the site a 5 out of 10 points for consumer interface.

The secret to getting the information is to click on Zoom Label. It brings up the entire data sheet in a pdf file. Once again this one is for the current product of course.