256 Pesticides are Poison
Treatment for Pesticide Poisoning
Like other toxic chemicals, pesticides can poison people in different ways:
through the skin and eyes, through the mouth (by swallowing), or through the
air (by breathing). Each kind of poisoning needs a different kind of treatment.
When pesticides get on the skin
Most pesticide poisonings are from pesticides being absorbed through
the skin. This can happen when they spill while being moved, when
they splash during mixing, during spraying, or when you touch
crops that have just been sprayed. Pesticides can also get on your
skin through your clothes, or when you wash clothes with pesticides
on them.
Rashes and irritation are the first signs of poisoning through
the skin. Because skin problems may be caused by other things,
such as a reaction to plants, insect bites, infections, or allergies,
it can be hard to know if the problem is caused by pesticides.
Talk to other workers to find out if the crop you are working
with causes this kind of reaction. If you work with pesticides
and get any unexpected skin rashes, it is safest to treat them
as if they are caused by pesticides.
Treatment
If you or someone else gets pesticides on the body:
• Quickly remove any clothing the pesticides spilled onto.
• Wash the pesticides off the skin as soon as
possible with soap and cool water.
• If it got into the eye, rinse the eye with clean
water for 15 minutes.
If the skin is burned from pesticides:
• Rinse well with cool water.
• Do not remove anything stuck to the burn.
• Do not apply lotions, fats, or butter.
• Do not break blisters.
• Do not remove loose skin.
• Cover the area with a sterile dressing, if available.
• If pain lasts, get medical help! Bring the label from the pesticide
containers or the names of the pesticides with you.
Pesticides can stick to your skin, hair, and clothes, even if you cannot see or
smell them. Always wash with soap after using pesticides.
A Community Guide to Environmental Health 2012