262 Pesticides are Poison
Signs of long-term illness from pesticides
Pesticides and other toxics can cause many long-term (chronic) illnesses.
Some signs of chronic illness are: weight loss, constant weakness, constant or
bloody cough, wounds that do not heal, no feeling in the hands or feet, poor
balance, loss of vision, very fast or very slow heartbeat, sudden mood changes,
confusion, memory loss, and trouble concentrating.
If you have any of these signs, tell your doctor or health worker. Be sure
to tell them all the ways you may have been in contact with pesticides and, if
possible, which ones.
Some long-term health effects of pesticides
Damage to the lungs: People exposed to pesticides may get a
cough that never goes away, or have a tight feeling in the
chest. These can be signs of bronchitis, asthma, or other lung
diseases. Damage done over time to the lungs may lead to lung
cancer. If you have any signs of lung damage, do not smoke
cigarettes! Smoking makes lung disease worse.
Cancer: People exposed to pesticides have a higher chance
of getting cancer than other people. This does not mean you
will get cancer if you work with pesticides. But it means that
working with pesticides gives you a higher risk of getting the
disease. (For information about cancer, see page 327.)
Hundreds of pesticides and pesticide ingredients are known or
believed to cause cancer. Many more have not yet been studied.
The most common cancers caused by pesticides are blood
cancer (leukemia), non-Hodgkins lymphoma, and brain cancer.
Damage to the liver: The liver helps clean the blood
and get rid of poisons. Because pesticides are very
strong poisons, the liver sometimes cannot get rid of
them. Severe liver damage can happen after a serious
poisoning or after working with pesticides for many
months or years.
Because
alcohol can
damage the
liver...
Toxic hepatitis: It is a liver disease people get from
being exposed to pesticides. Toxic hepatitis can cause
nausea, vomiting and fever, yellowing of the skin, and
can destroy your liver.
Damage to the nervous system: Pesticides damage the
brain and the nerves. Long-term exposure to pesticides
can cause loss of memory, anxiety, mood changes, and
trouble concentrating.
...drinking alcohol makes
pesticide poisoning worse.
A Community Guide to Environmental Health 2012