MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia: Insecticide

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Insecticide

Contents of this page:
Definition Poisonous Ingredient Where Found Symptoms Home Treatment	Before Calling Emergency Poison Control, or a local emergency number What to expect at the emergency room Expectations (prognosis)

Definition

Poisoning caused by exposure to insecticide.

Poisonous Ingredient

Household bug sprays are fairly non-toxic chemicals called pyrethrins (although these may cause life-threatening asphyxiation if inhaled). Industrial insecticides (which may OFTEN be found in household garages and greenhouses) contain many extremely toxic, life-threatening materials, including:

organophosphates
carbamates
paradichlorobenzenes

Many new and extremely toxic insecticides are continuously being developed.

Where Found

various insecticides

Symptoms

for organophosphate:

body as a whole
- weakness
- sweating
- convulsions
- increased urination
respiratory
- difficulty breathing
eyes, ears, nose, and throat
- small pupils
- increased tearing
- increased salivation
skin
- blue lips and fingernails
gastrointestinal
- loss of appetite
- abdominal cramps
- diarrhea
- nausea and/or vomiting
nervous system
- headache
- anxiety
- dizziness
- coma

Note: Serious poisoning can occur from just handling the organophosphate without gloves or without washing hands soon after exposure. Significant amounts are absorbed through the skin unless proper precautions are observed. Life-threatening paralysis and death can occur very quickly.

for carbamate:

body as a whole
- weakness
- sweating
- convulsions
- increased urination
respiratory
- difficulty breathing
eyes, ears, nose, and throat
- small pupils
- increased tearing
- increased salivation
skin
- blue lips and fingernails
gastrointestinal
- loss of appetite
- abdominal cramps
- diarrhea
- nausea and/or vomiting
nervous system
- headache
- anxiety
- dizziness
- coma

Note: Serious poisoning can occur from just handling the carbamate without gloves or without washing hands soon after exposure. Significant amounts are absorbed through the skin unless proper precautions are observed. Life-threatening symptoms may occur very quickly.

for paradichlorobenzene:

body as a whole
- convulsions
- muscle spasms
gastrointestinal
- abdominal pain
- nausea and/or vomiting
- diarrhea

for pyrethrum (pyrethrin):

respiratory
- asphyxiation (in high doses)
skin
- irritation
- skin redness or inflammation
nervous system
- convulsions
- coma

Home Treatment

Seek emergency medical care immediately. If the product is on the skin, wash area thoroughly for at least 15 minutes. Mouth to mouth resuscitation may be necessary if the person stops breathing. These substances can be lethal very quickly.

Before Calling Emergency

Determine the following information:

the patient's age, weight, and condition
the name of the product (ingredients and strengths, if known)
the time it was swallowed
the amount swallowed

Poison Control, or a local emergency number

See Poison Control centers for telephone numbers and addresses. Take the container with you to the emergency room.

What to expect at the emergency room

Some or all of the following procedures may be performed:

For swallowed poison
- Placement of a tube down the nose and into the stomach (a nasogastric tube, or an NG tube) to wash out the stomach
- Activated charcoal administration
- Endoscopy -- the placement of a camera down the throat to see the extent of burns to the esophagus and the stomach
- Give IV fluids
- Admission to the hospital
- Give an antidote
- Treat the symptoms
For inhaled poisons
- A breathing tube may need to be inserted
- Oxygen
- Admission to the hospital or to the intensive care unit
- Bronchoscopy (inserting a camera down the throat into the airway to evaluate the extent of burns to the airway and lungs)
For skin exposure
- Irrigation (washing of the skin), perhaps every few hours for several days
- Skin debridement (surgical removal of burned skin)
- Admission or transfer to a hospital that specializes in burn care

Expectations (prognosis)

If an antidote is given quickly, recovery is likely. Time to treatment is critical. Continued improvement of symptoms over the first 4 to 6 hours under proper medical care usually indicates that recovery will occur. Although the symptoms are the same for carbamate and organophosphate, the carbamate has a more favorable outcome.

Update Date: 4/16/2004

Updated by: Cherlin Johnson, M.D., Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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