Pest Management Professional, June 2014

INSURANCE CONTRACTS HEAT SPRAY TRAINING ENCASE SECTION BU TRAP SPECIAL PRICING BED G ISOLATE VACUUM FUMIGATE DETECT STEAM FREEZE EXCLUDE MONITOR COMMUNICATION COOPERATION Continued from page BB5 Human health The most frequently reported health effects were neurologic symptoms including headache and dizziness respiratory symptoms including upper respiratory tract pain and irritation and dyspnea and gastrointestinal symptoms including nausea and vomiting Of the 111 total cases 13 were work related Of those 13 three involved people who applied pesticides including two pest control operators one of whom was certified In four cases workers were unaware pesticides had been applied and two of them were hotel workers exposed when they entered a recently treated room The other two cases involved emergency medical technicians who responded to a scene contaminated with what was believed to be an organophosphate pesticide In half of all cases there were contributing factors Those that contributed most frequently were excessive application of insecticide 18 percent Misuse and abuse The single fatality occurred in North Carolina in 2010 The victim was a 65 year old woman who suffered from a host of health problems At the time of the exposure she was taking no fewer than 10 medications After complaining about bed bugs her husband applied an insecticide to baseboards walls and the area around the bed plus another insecticide to the mattress and box springs Neither product was registered for use on bed bugs He also released nine cans of insecticide fogger in the home Two days later he reapplied insecticides and released nine more cans of another fogger ignoring label instructions to air out the treated area for 30 minutes On both occasions the couple left their home for three to four hours before returning Additionally the woman applied bed bug and flea insecticide to her arms her chest and her hair before covering it with a plastic cap Two days later her husband found her unconscious She died nine days later Another case of insecticide misuse occurred in Ohio in 2010 An uncertified applicator applied malathion in an apartment five times in three days The product which wasnt intended for indoor use was applied liberally Three adults and four children lived in the apartment The 6 year old child experienced diarrhea on the first day followed by a headache and dizziness The woman applied insecticide to her arms her chest and her hair before covering it with a plastic cap She died nine days later on the second day Two of the adult residents who were present during the applications reported nausea vomiting headaches and tremors Fortunately the three younger children were in childcare during the applications and didnt exhibit symptoms of poisoning Each night the children slept on sheets on the floor rather than on the saturated beds When the 6 year olds symptoms persisted on the third day of application he was taken to a hospital emergency room and decontaminated The hospital lacked pediatrics specialty care so he was transferred to the Cincinnati Childrens Hospital Medical Center CCHMC for evaluation His pseudocholinesterase level was within normal limits and he was given one dose of pralidoxime The two adults were seen in a community hospital treated and released After their hospital visits the family didnt return to the contaminated apartment The uncertified applicator pleaded guilty to criminal charges and was fined and placed on probation The CDC report which shows an increasing trend in acute illnesses related to bed bug control doesnt include injuries to persons who used Kill It With Fire In one instance a couch doused with rubbing alcohol caught fire leaving 30 apartment dwellers homeless But consider this The reports major limitations are The reports were limited to the seven states participating in the surveillance system and even within those areas relevant cases might have been underreported The SENSOR Pesticides program uses a passive surveillance system which fails to include people who experience minor side effects and dont seek treatment Other cases might have been excluded because insufficient information prevented them from meeting the case definition Only those cases containing the term bed bug were included and false positives might have been included erroneously because symptoms for acute illness from insecticide poisoning are nonspecific Contributing factors were identified in only 50 percent of the cases greater knowledge of those factors could have altered the conclusions of the report PMP Mahoney is a PMP contributor You can reach him at word maker@ hotmail com BB7 June 2014 Pest Management Professional www mypmp net