What Makes a Pesticide Harmful? Pesticide Safety Precautions
As people become more aware of the environmental damage around them, they have become more concerned about pesticide safety. While minimizing pesticide use is always a good idea, there are times when a pesticide is the only thing that will take care of your problem. Pesticides can be used safely, with a few precautions. Making sure the pesticide you use is the right one for your problem, understanding the risks of a given pesticide, and following the label will help you safely use pesticides around your family and pets.
Dichlorobenzene, tetramethrin, diazinon, organophosphates, chlorinated hydrocarbons, copper naphthenatethis is only a small sampling of the potential ingredients of any given pesticide, and all are highly toxic. For instance, diazinon is extremely toxic and affects the central nervous system, while chlorinated hydrocarbons are suspected of being carcinogens and mutagens.
Although pesticide means insecticide to most people, it is really an umbrella term that covers a broad variety of substances that are intended to prevent, destroy, repel, or mitigate pests. Insecticides kill insects and other bugs. Herbicides kill plants. Fungicides kill fungus. Poisons, such as rat bait, kill animals. Plant growth regulators prevent plants from growing normally or at all, depending on the product. Insect growth regulators do the same for insects that pass through stages, such as the dreaded grasshopper. Defoliants and desiccants cause plants to drop their leaves. These are often used on cotton and other crops that are mechanically harvested.
It is estimated that nearly three million pesticide-related accidents occur each year worldwide and result in the loss of approximately 220,000 lives. Statistics show that, after death or injury due to contact with household cleaning products, pesticides are the next most common cause of poisoning in young children.
But you don’t have to ingest a pesticide or fall victim to a factory spill to be put in harm’s way. If you live among the general population, you are exposed to constant low levels of pesticide constituents via residential and commercial spraying, garden insecticides, and residual amounts found in the environment. These agents are stored in the fatty tissue of humans and animals and are linked to a variety of cancers, diseases of the blood, mental and behavioral disorders, learning disabilities (such as attention deficit disorder), and chemical sensitivity. Even if all pesticides were done away with today, the genetic dispositions of successive generations would still continue to evidence their effects.
To safely use a pesticide, make sure you obey every instruction on the label. If the label calls for long sleeves, long pants, gloves, a hat, and a face mask, make sure that is what you wear when applying the chemical, even if it is hot outside. After you apply your chemical, immediately remove your clothes as soon as you get inside, put those clothes in the washing machine alone, and run them in the hottest water the fabric will stand. After you remove the clothes, run the washing machine again on hot water while it is empty. This keeps any of the pesticide from getting on clothes other family members use, which could make them sick. If your pets lay on the contaminated clothing, they could become ill or die, too.
One of the most important parts of the label discusses the re-entry period. This is the period that must pass before you or anyone else can go back into an area that has been treated. This ranges from a few minutes to as long as 72 hours. Make sure that children and pets stay out, too. Since pets have fur, they can get soaked in the pesticide, leave the treated area, and continue to be exposed to the pesticide. They may also contaminate areas in the house and any family members who touch them. This greatly increases the results of toxic side effects for everyone exposed.