Nobody wants to eat at a restaurant with a cockroach problem, sleep at a hotel with a bedbug problem, or work in a building with a termite problem. But in some cases, our solution to the presence of these pests can be as bad as the pests themselves: When we fill our work spaces with toxic pesticides, we may end up making ourselves sick.
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Although pesticide exposure is most often considered a problem for professional applicators and agricultural workers, pesticides can also affect workers, customers, and clients. Here’s what you need to know about the hazards of indoor pesticide applications.
Exposure to Nonapplicators
Workers who do not apply pesticides can be exposed afterward to pesticide residues in the workplace. Fogger- and aerosol-type pesticide applications, which can linger both in the air and on surfaces, are the most likely to cause toxic exposures after they are applied. Occupants returning to a building, vehicle, or other enclosed area that has been fogged or sprayed may be exposed by any or all of these routes of exposure:
- Skin contact. Pesticide residues in the air or on surfaces may come into contact with the skin. This is the primary route of toxic exposure for many pesticides; they tend to be well-absorbed through the skin.
- Inhalation. Pesticide residues can leave more than an odor in the air; there may be enough of the substance present to cause illness. In particular, some pesticides (including pyrethrins and tetramethrin) can cause occupational asthma even when they are present in very small amounts.
- Ingestion. If workers left food, drinks, chewing gum and candy, medications, or other ingestible items in the workplace when it was being treated—especially if it was being fogged—those items may be contaminated, and workers who ingest them can be poisoned. Even inedible items that are placed in the mouth, like cigarettes, toothbrushes that workers keep for their personal use, envelopes that workers may lick, coffee cups left at work, or some personal habits, like the secretary who licks her fingers while flipping pages in a document or the manager who chews on pen caps, can result in ingestion exposures.
Postapplication Health Effects
Workers, customers, and clients may be exposed to pesticides when they are applied indoors or in enclosed environments. Because they are likely to be present for a full shift, workers are more likely to suffer prolonged exposure—but customers and clients may represent a more vulnerable population (people who are older, younger, or sicker than most workers and therefore more likely to be affected by lower-dose exposures).
Symptoms of pesticide toxicity include:
- Irritating odors
- Headaches
- Dizziness
- Nausea and vomiting
- Watery eyes
- Skin rashes
- Allergic skin and respiratory reactions
- Asthma attacks and other breathing difficulties
Buses are a common culprit because they can attract and harbor pests; there have been instances in which exposures to recently fumigated buses sickened drivers, adult passengers, and school children. Places of business where hazardous chemical exposures are not usually a concern, like banks, are another type of workplace where workers and customers have become ill as a result of pesticide exposures.
Naturally, any time you apply pesticides—especially sprayed or fogged pesticides—you should try to ensure that the area is safe for reentry before allowing anyone back inside. However, workers should still be aware of the signs and symptoms of pesticide toxicity.
Tomorrow we’ll look at ways to control pests while minimizing the use of pesticides in the workplace.