258 Pesticides are Poison
Mix ½ cup of activated charcoal or
1 tablespoon of finely powdered charcoal
with warm water in a large glass or jar.
Make powdered charcoal from burnt
wood, or even burnt bread or tortilla.
This is not as good as activated charcoal,
but it still works. NEVER use charcoal
briquettes. They are poison!
+
activated
water or
charcoal
fruit juice
OR
+
powdered
charcoal
water or
fruit juice
After the person vomits, or even if she does not,
you can slow the spread of the poison while getting
to a doctor by giving her a drink of:
• 1 raw egg white,
or
• a glass of cow’s milk
Drinking milk does NOT prevent pesticide poisoning.
It just slows the spread of the poison.
If someone swallowed pesticides and does not have sharp stomach pain,
they can take sorbitol or magnesium hydroxide (Milk of Magnesia). These
medicines cause diarrhea, which can help to get poisons out of the body.
When to use atropine
Atropine is a medicine for treating poisoning from certain
pesticides called organophosphates and carbamates. If the label
on the pesticide container says to use atropine, or if it says the
pesticide is a “cholinesterase inhibitor,” use atropine as directed. If the
label does not say to use atropine, do not use it.
Atropine is used only for organophosphate or carbamate poisoning.
Atropine does NOT prevent
pesticide poisoning. It only
delays the effects of poisoning.
Atropine should never be taken
before spraying.
IMPORTANT: Do NOT give these
drugs for pesticide poisoning:
Sleeping pills (sedatives), morphine,
barbiturates, phenothiazines,
aminophylline, or any drugs that slow
or lessen breathing. They can make the
person stop breathing completely.
Every farm that uses pesticides should have an emergency kit
with medicines and supplies to use in case of poisoning. See page 546
for what to include in an emergency kit.
A Community Guide to Environmental Health 2012