EPA Asks for Voluntary Recall of Home-Use Pesticide Sprayers

WASHINGTON —  The Environmental Protection Agency asked for a voluntary recall Tuesday of two garden tools used to kill weeds and insects, saying a problem with a sprayer could cause overexposure to pesticides.

The EPA said its alert only affected products sold in Pull ‘N Spray containers and cautioned that the problem is not with the pesticides but with the sprayers.

If the pump mechanism doesn’t work properly, it could leak the pesticide onto the gardener or pop out of the container and strike the user, the EPA said.

The products are Monsanto Corp.’s Roundup Ready-to-Use Weed and Grass Killer and Scotts Co.’s Ortho Ready-to-Use Home Defense Indoor and Outdoor Insect Killer.

Both products are sold in 1.33-gallon plastic containers with a “T-handle” pump and application wand.

The EPA said the voluntary measure was issued after the makers of the Pull ‘N Spray products told the agency that failures with the pump spray caused exposure to the pesticide.

Consumers should return the container to the retailer from which the purchase was made.