264 Pesticides are Poison
Pesticide Poisoning Can Look Like
Other Illnesses
There are many different signs of pesticide poisoning, and they are easily
confused with the signs of flu, malaria, an allergic reaction, or lung diseases.
It is unusual to have only one sign. Most of the time several signs
What are some
of the signs
of pesticide
poisoning?
come together. You might not even know someone was poisoned
because the signs can develop slowly.
Headache
and
dizziness.
Vomiting,
sweating and
diarrhea.
But the flu also
causes vomiting
and sweating.
So does
malaria.
And
having a
hangover!
And
being
pregnant!
Note for the health worker:
To find out if someone’s health problems
may be caused by pesticides, ask some
simple questions, such as:
Do you work on a farm?
Have you been in contact
with pesticides lately?
Has there been spraying
in the fields near where
you live?
How do you know if a health problem
is caused by pesticides?
Sometimes you can find out if a sickness is from pesticides by talking to people
who have the same sickness or work with the same pesticides. When people
share the same signs of poisoning, and there are pesticides used nearby, there
is a good chance they are all sick from the pesticides.
A Community Guide to Environmental Health 2012