State Orders ‘Bug Bomb’ Safety Review : Study Notes Dangers to Toddlers Even if Directions Are Followed

Prompted by a new study from a pesticide manufacturer, the state Department of Food and Agriculture ordered on Friday a review of widely used bug bombs, foggers and room sprays because they may be dangerous even if used as directed--particularly for infants and toddlers.

The new findings suggest that youngsters can absorb toxic doses of the nerve poisons present in more than 2,000 such products when they are sprayed on floors, carpets, furniture and drapery. Many of these pesticides are sold in hardware stores and supermarkets for household use.

State scientists, who discussed the new findings at a meeting of a department advisory group, said the review would probably lead to new warning labels on the products, not a prohibition against them.

They did not identify any products by brand name, but they indicated that virtually any spray or fogger used on broad surfaces would contain the problem chemicals.

The pesticides, sold under a wide variety of brand and chemical names, can be used safely, said department scientist Keith Maddy. He said users should ventilate sprayed rooms for five hours after application and keep small children out of those rooms for four or five days.

Current Label Instructions

Current labeling, Maddy said, recommends only that rooms be ventilated for two or three hours and says nothing about when it is safe to re-enter the sprayed area.

Mobay Chemical Corp. conducted the latest tests, which indicate that significant amounts of the pesticides could be picked up on the skin in rooms shortly after spraying. The company sprayed its product in a closed room and then measured the amount of pesticide left both immediately after spraying and again after ventilation.

Because unexpectedly high levels of chemical remained, Maddy said, the company has voluntarily relabeled products, specifying that they be used only for cracks and crevices, where residents are not likely to come into contact with them.

Scientists from the Department of Health Services took the new information from Mobay and then calculated that many household pesticides could under the worst circumstances expose infants to near-lethal doses of the chemicals.

Last year, poison control centers in Los Angeles and San Francisco reported that a large number of people were exposed to the three chemicals used in most of the sprays and foggers--Baygon or propoxur, DDVP and Dursban. All three chemicals have many trade and chemical names.

Maddy indicated that the same precautions should be taken with all pesticides used on large surfaces in a room.

“The problem is that people assume that because these are sold in hardware stores and in supermarkets opposite baby products, it’s safe to use them,” said Dr. Richard Jackson, a pediatrician and scientist for the health department.

But youngsters, because of their small size and because they spend so much time on the ground, can suffer pesticide poisoning if they enter a sprayed room too soon, he said.

Poisoning Symptoms

Symptoms of poisoning with these products include diarrhea, drooling, disorientation, headache and uncontrolled urination--all very difficult to detect in infants.

Jackson said there have been disputed allegations that the products have contributed to some deaths. But most cases of poisoning are reversed by themselves or can be easily treated with available antidotes.

“One reason we use these particular chemicals is that we think they have no long-term effects,” he said.

Both Jackson and Maddy say their departments have been concerned about the household pesticides for several years. The new study made it possible to calculate the seriousness of the problem.

As a result of Friday’s action, the Department of Food and Agriculture will review the labeling for all of the products containing the three pesticides. At the end of 30 days, the department could ask manufacturers to conduct further studies or to change the labeling of their products.