All herbicides should be handled with great care, especially in their concentrated form. Once diluted according to label instructions, aquatic herbicides are considered safe for the specified use by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, who ensure that they meet the most stringent safety standards under federal and state regulations. “Restricted use” herbicides are not permitted for use in water.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) explains that when a registered herbicide is used according to the label directions, it will cause no unreasonable adverse effects on human health or the environment. All pesticides undergo years of testing, review, and evaluation by the EPA before they can be used. One of the specific criteria for review is “effects to non-target organisms”. Birds, mammals, fish, and invertebrates are all considered “non-target organisms”. Since herbicides are only used to manage plants, tests have shown minimal impacts on these non-target organisms.