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Indoor Air Quality | Asthma &
Allergies | Mold & Moisture | Carbon Monoxide | Lead
Drinking Water | Hazardous
Household Products | Pesticides |
Home Safety
Pesticides
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Should You Be
Concerned?
Many families are bugged by pests. Cockroaches,
flies, rats, and mice carry disease and can get into food. Roaches and house
dust mites can make allergies and asthma worse. Fleas and ticks riding into the
home on pets or clothing can carry disease. The bites of rats and certain
spiders can make children very ill.
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Almost one- half of houses with a
child under 5 had pesticides stored within reach of children.
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Pesticides are things like bug spray, pet flea
collars, rat poison, bleach, and garden weed killer that can be used to prevent
and kill pests. Pesticides can pose a real danger if you do not use them in the
right way. Some may cause poisoning, birth defects, nerve damage, and even
cancer. They can make allergies or asthma worse. Breathing fumes or dust from
pesticide powders and sprays can be harmful. Touching a floor where pesticides
was used can also be a danger.
Children are especially at risk. When they
crawl and play on floors and lawns, they can come in contact with pesticides
used there. Young children put hands, toys and other things in their mouths.
These may have touched pesticide on the floor or grass. Children may get more
of the small amounts of pesticides on foods than adults because they eat more
of some foods, like apples and carrots.
The biggest danger is poisoning. Children
accidentally poison themselves if they play with, eat or drink pesticides that
are not stored safely.
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Poisoned by pesticides:
don’t let this happen to your child.
A five-year-old boy drinks from
a bottle of bleach that he found under the bathroom sink.
A three-year-old girl tries to
spray her hair the way mommy does, but sprays an aerosol disinfectant in her
eyes instead.
A baby who has just begun to
crawl eats green pebbles from behind the sofa. They look like candy but are
really rat poison.
The good news is there are lots of things
you can do to protect your family’s health and safety! Ask yourself the
questions on the following page to see if pesticides may be a threat in your
home. Safe pesticide use depends on YOU! |
Questions to ask?
Why do you have pests?
- Does your home have loose or torn screens or
broken windows?
- Are there gaps or holes in the building that
let pests in?
- Are counters and floors often dirty? Do
dishes go unwashed?
- Is there spilled food anywhere in your home?
- Do you keep your garbage where ants,
roaches, rats, mice, or other animals can get into it?
- Does your plumbing or roof leak?
- Do you store food in containers or boxes
that don’t have covers?
Do you use pesticides
properly?
Never take it for granted that a pesticide is
harmless.
- Do you (or a pest control company) ever use
air borne pesticides like flea bombs or roach sprays indoors instead of baits?
Bombs and sprays spread pesticides over a larger area, making it more likely
someone will come in contact with them.
- Do you use flea collars, sprays, or powder
on your pets? These contain pesticides that may harm people.
- Do you use pesticides without reading the
label?
- Are children or pets in the room when you
use pesticides?
- Do you eat, drink or smoke while using a
pesticide?
- Do you put bug repellent on your children?
- Do you serve fruits and vegetables without
washing them well?
How do you store and dispose of
pesticides?
- Do you ever store pesticides in different
containers from the package they came in?
- Do you sometimes have extra, leftover
pesticides around the house?
- Do you store pesticides where children can
reach them?
- Do you store pesticides near food?
- Do you throw empty pesticide containers away
without reading the label?
- Do you leave empty pesticide containers out
where children can reach them?
Actions steps
Keep a clean home
- Wash children’s hands, bottles,
pacifiers, and toys often. Regularly clean floors, window sills, and other
surfaces.
- Keep a tight lid on trash cans and empty
them often.
- Store food in tightly sealed containers.
- Make sure people in your home eat at the
table. Don’t let them walk around with food.
- Wipe up spills and crumbs right away.
- Clean your dirty dishes right after eating.
- Clean your home well after treating for
roaches to reduce roach allergies.
- Pests need water. Keep them from getting it
by fixing leaks and not leaving dish water in the sink overnight.
- Control fleas by washing bedding often,
shampooing pets, vacuuming floors, and using flea combs and traps.
- Get rid of stacks of newspaper, papers,
bags, and cardboard boxes that make good homes for pests. Recycle them if you
can.
Keep pests out of
your home
- Seal cracks and crevices where pests can get
into your home.
- Check things like bags and boxes for roaches
before bringing them inside.
- Teach your children not to share combs,
hats, or coats at school or daycare.
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The word CAUTION shows up on a
pesticide label when a product is least harmful to people.
WARNING means a product is more
poisonous than one with a Caution label.
DANGER means a product is very
poisonous or irritating. Use a pesticide that has this word on its label with
extreme care because it can burn your skin or eyes very
badly. |
Use pesticides
safely
- Read the label and follow the instructions.
Use only the amount directed and for the purpose listed.
- Place all pesticides, including baits, out
of reach of children.
- When using a pesticide, keep children away
until it has dried or for the time recommended on the label.
- Protect your skin, your eyes, and your lungs
while applying pesticides.
- Always wash your hands after use. Never
smoke, eat, or drink while using a pesticide.
- Look for signal words. All pesticide labels
include words such as Caution, Warning, or Danger to warn you
about a product's hazards.
- Wash clothing you wore while using a
pesticide in a separate load from other laundry.
- If you have questions about using a
pesticide, call the company that made it. An 800 number is usually on the
label. You can also call the National Pesticide
Information Center at 1-800-858-7378.
- Mix and use only the amount you need so you
don’t have leftovers.
- Mix pesticides outdoors or in an area with
plenty of fresh air. (Never mix them inside the kitchen).
Storing &
disposing of pesticides
- Store pesticides where children and pets
can’t reach them or in a locked cabinet.
- Store pesticides only in the container they
came in. Never put them in a soft drink bottle or any other kind of container.
- Follow the directions on the label for the
right way to throw away pesticides.
- Never use an empty pesticide container for
something else.
IN CASE OF
EMERGENCY
You can reach your local
Poison Control Center by calling (800) 222-1222 from anywhere in the country.
Put this number next to all of your telephones and where you store your
hazardous products.
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Bug Repellent
When putting bug repellent on
children, read all directions first. Do not use over cuts or broken skin. Do
not apply to eyes, mouth, hands, or directly on the face. Use just enough to
cover skin or clothing. Don’t use it under clothing. |
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Helpful
Tips
Tips for your
lawn & garden
- Use lawn seed and plants that are
meant to grow well in your area and resist disease.
- Decide if you can put up with a few
weeds or insects.
- Use your muscles. You can keep down
weeds by hand pulling or hoeing.
- Make sure you know what the pest or
problem is before using a pesticide.
- Use pesticides only where the pests
are.
- Use the least toxic chemical you
can find for the job.
- Your local Cooperative Extension
office can help with lawn and garden care.
Tips for
preparing food
- Wash and scrub all fruits and
vegetables under running tap water.
- After washing, peel fruits and
vegetables when possible.
- Throw away the outer leaves of
leafy vegetables like lettuce and other greens.
- Trim fat from meat and skin from
poultry and fish— some pesticides collect in fat.
- Eat lots of different foods from
lots of sources.
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When in Doubt,
Check it Out
EPA Office of Pesticide Programs
(703)
305-5017
http://www.epa.
gov/pesticides/consumer. htm
You can order these publications:
Help! It’s A Roach:
A Roach
Prevention Activity Book
Citizen’s Guide to Pest Control and
Pesticide Safety
10 Tips to Protect Your Family From
Pesticide and Lead Poisoning
Pesticides and Child Safety
Pesticides and Food: What You Need to
Know
National Pesticide Information Center
(800)
858- 7378
http://npic.orst.edu/
Food and Drug Administration Food Safety
Information Service Hotline (888) SAFE-FOOD; (888) 723-33663, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Monday through Friday
The Home* A* Syst handbook gives more
details about pesticides and other healthy home topics.
(608) 262- 0024
http://www.uwex.edu/homeasyst
For more information on non-toxic pest control
contact the Bio-Intregal Resource Center
(510) 524-2567
http://www.birc.org/
Next Chapter: Home Safety >>
This chapter was written by Kadi Row,
University of Wisconsin Cooperative Extension. ©2002 University of
Wisconsin Extension. All Rights Reserved. |
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