What to Do if You Suspect Pesticide Poisoning

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What to Do if You Suspect Pesticide Poisoning

_http://www.citlink.net/~bhima/whattodopest.htm_

(http://www.citlink.net/~bhima/whattodopest.htm)

As reported by the Arizona Structural Pest Control Commission, 50 to 90% of

the cases involving sickness from pesticides occurs with children and the

elderly. Guess what that means? Concerning the Chemically Injured or MCS/EIs,

illness from pesticide exposure does not necessarily mean that the chemicals

have been misused. The following list, prepares you for only those instances

when the symptoms and/or contamination is so extreme that you suspect there

has been a misuse.

 

__

1. Design a plan. Ask your physician what he or she would recommend to do

in case of pesticide poisoning.

A. Does your doctor have a preferred emergency room or lab? etc. If your

hospital or lab does not have cholinesterase (blood) or alkylphosphates

(urine)

testing available, contact Pacific Toxicology, in item #5, for the lab

nearest to you. See comparison of these 2 tests listed in #5. Please remember

that

you need a doctor's order to run these tests.

B. Before your doctor's visit, read online or order the booklet, Recognition

and Management of Pesticide Poisoning, listed in #4 of this list.

C. Check with physician about your tolerance or the safety of antidotes in

the preceding EPA publication.

D. Important: It is recommended that you have a cholinesterase inhibitor

pesticide test or alkylphosphates test done beforehand to record baseline

levels

of pesticide in your system. This is most practical test because there are

many pesticides that cannot be specifically identified. The cholinesterase

inhibitor test will not identify the specific name of pesticides in your

system.

Later, these levels can be compared when the same test is run in the event

of a suspected poisoning.

 

2. Find and investigative agency. Inquire as to whether or not your State

Department of Agriculture or other government agency will investigate suspected

pesticide poisoning or misuse especially in places with public access.

Please research this in advance. Each State has it's own system and it has been

reported that some do not handle pesticide misuse investigation. If they do,

record phone number(s) and contact person(s). For Arizona and Nevada

investigation, see #7.

3. Post all emergency information: contact persons, medical facilities and

government department phone numbers. Place by the phone and keep info in your

wallet.

4. Let the patient be aware! The following book was recommended by Dr. Linda

Aston, from Pacific Toxicology, for the patient and physician. It lists

symptoms and offers treatment guidelines for pesticide poisoning. Bring the

book

or the EPA link to the emergency room to show your doctor if you suspect a

poisoning. Many physicians have been trained in toxicology, but the standard

training is brief.

Order this booklet free from the EPA:

Recognition and Management of Pesticide Poisoning - 540988001 (208 pgs.)

Call 703-305-7666 or 1-800-490-9198 to order from the Certification and

Worker Protection Branch of the EPA, Office of Pesticide Programs.

or view the publication directly on the EPA site:

_http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/safety/healthcare/handbook/handbook.htm_

(http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/safety/healthcare/handbook/handbook.htm)

5. Warning: Concerning cholinesterase tests and treatment for poisoning.

Cholinesterase tests may be helpful for litigation purposes only.

" Cholinesterase has no Prognostic Value. " Our Toxic Times, " Issue 142. Volume

13, Number

5, page 28. " Misdiagnosis from relying on serum cholinesterase readings could

have injurious or life threatening consequences for patients with

OP(pesticide) poisoning. " Chemical Injury Information Network Newsletter.

_http://www.ciin.org_ (http://www.ciin.org/)

Editor's note: As someone with MCS/EI, you may not have all the typical

symptoms and the poisoning may bring on other unusual symptoms.

5. Choose an experienced lab for the pesticide testing.

Pacific Toxicology accepts work from all over the USA.

Lab work cannot be done without a physician's order.

Dr. Linda Aston, Bioanalytical Chemist, is available during regular business

hours to answer questions. This lab also tests for hazardous chemicals-

solvents and heavy metals to monitor employee exposure in industry.

When in doubt, request that the attending physician check with her for the

proper test to fit the suspected class of pesticide.

Pacific Toxicology, 1545 Pontius Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90025

Call: 1-800-328-6942

_http://www.pactox.com/_ (http://www.pactox.com/)

Types of tests:

Cholinesterase Inhibitor: This record of baseline levels of pesticide in

your system can be compared to suspected exposure levels. (This test should

also

be available through your local doctor or ER.) Pacific Toxicology billing:

Will not bill insurance. This is problematic for Medicare patients. Patient

pays in advance. $43.50.

Alkykphosphates - Organophosphate (OP) Screen: Tests for types of

pesticides. Billing: Patient pays in advance. Will not bill insurance. $93.25

Comparison of Pesticide Tests*

Cholinesterase (blood)

Pros

Relatively simple, inexpensive

Longer period of detection

Physiological parameter measured

Cons

Invasive sample collection

Reqires baseline measurement

Difficulty determining degree of exposure

Difficulty in laboratory standardization

Non-specific factors affect activity

Alkylphosphates (urine)

Pros

More sensitive (10-50x's)

Greater specificity

Easier sample collection

Direct chemical measurement

Cons

Shorter period of detection (3-6 days)

More expensive test

Expensive instrumentation required

*Source: Coye, M.J., Lowe, J.A., Maddy, K.J. Biological monitoring of

agricultural workers exposed to pesticides. II Monitoring of intact pesticides

and

their metabolites. J. Occ. Med. 28:628-635. 1986.

Malathion: If you are reasonably sure this is the source of the poisoning,

this test can identify this OP pesticide. Billing: Patient pays in advance.

Will not bill insurance. $130.00

Clorpyrifos (Dursban): If you are reasonably sure this is the source of the

poisoning, this test can identify this OP pesticide. Billing: Patient pays in

advance. Will not bill insurance. $108.00

6. Within 24 hours of exposure or ASAP, visit your doctor or emergency room.

Make sure to bring EPA publication listed in #4 of this list or link to EPA

site with title of book. Please note EPA instructions about how to handle

contaminated clothing and cleanup of patient, if that is necessary to do before

visiting emergency room.

If you suspect the exposure was to an organophosphate type of pesticide,

(the majority of pesticides used at present), a urine sample is required. These

pesticides are undetectable after 72 hours. Rare, organochloride pesticides

are present in the blood for much longer, but most of these are outlawed in

this country. Head lice shampoo may have the ingredient, Lindane, which is an

organochloride pesticide. Testing for the carbamate class of pesticides is

forwarded to another lab for analysis.

7. Report to the investigative agency within 24 hours or ASAP. Report the

suspected misuse to your State Department of Agriculture or governmental

investigative agency. Ask someone to do this for you, if you cannot.

Arizona

Arizona Structural Pest Control Commission. 602-255-3664. Ask to speak to an

investigator. If it occurs on a weekend, just leave a message so that it can

be handled ASAP.

Nevada

Las Vegas- Nevada Department of Agriculture. 702-486-4690. Ask to speak to

the investigator. They can fax the report form to you. The incident must be in

writing to process the investigation. The law requires that all reports are

investigated. Numbers of individuals involved in suspected poisoning incident

help determine priority along with workload.

All other areas- Reno office can dispatch. 775-688-1180.

To understand the investigative process, call 775-688-1180 ext. 251 to

order the Nevada Department of Agriculture free brochure " Pesticide and

Investigative Procedures. "

Or write: Nevada Department of Agriculture, 350 Capitol Hill Ave., Reno, NV

89502, Attn: Charles Moses.

8. Make your own record. Make a list of your symptoms and their duration.

Record the location, date and time of their onset. If you can't do it, ask

someone to help you. This information will be needed for the report.

9. Report to the EPA. Use the HEAL homepage to print out form, fill it out,

and mail to EPA Locate form on site in HEAL On-Line, The Supplement Vol.2, #

1 April 1998. _http://members.aol.com/HEALNatnl/hs0201.html_

(http://members.aol.com/HEALNatnl/hs0201.html)

9 A. Report to ECHO. ECHO Tracking Adverse Health Effects of Pesticides

As you know many cases of pesticide injury are never documented or reported.

As part of ECHO's " Lady Bug Project " we have developed a Pesticide Incident

form to collect data on injuries caused by pesticides. We hope to use this

information to help educate our legislators and the public about the serious

health risks of pesticide use. The Pesticide Incident form is available on the

ECHO website. If you have been injured by a pesticide or have had any bad

reactions to a pesticide application, please print out and complete a Pesticide

Incident form and mail to: ECHO - Pesticide Registry, PO BOX 8232, Berlin, CT

06037. Your name is optional and will be kept confidential. We are also

interested in documenting any pets that have been sickened and any plants that

may have been injured by drift from a neighbor's pesticide application This is

an ongoing project and there is no deadline for submitting the forms. E-mail:

_ECHOMCSCT_ (ECHOMCSCT) Phone/Fax: 860-228-2693

_http://www.ECHOMCSCT.Homestead.com _ (http://www.echomcsct.homestead.com/)

10. Share the information! Please e-mail me and I will post the information

you have gathered for your area. It can help many others!

Editor's Note: This is a lot of work, but you can also help prevent

pesticide misuse that could harm others. This is based on my personal

experience.

Litigation or Proof of Disability

If you are collecting this evidence to prove injury for litigation or

disability, you will need other testing. Information provided by Cynthia

Wilson,

Chemical Injury Information Network. (5-23-01)

To show damage or proof of injury you will also need:

A lawyer

Spect Brain Scan to show tissue injury

Neurotoxicity Screening Exam

Contact Raymond Singer, PhD., Neuropsychology and Neurotoxicology

Phone: 505-466-1100

_http://members.aol.com/neurosite/_ (http://members.aol.com/neurosite/) or

_http://www.neurotox.com_ (http://members.aol.com/neurosite/)

For more information on pesticide testing, see CIIN " Our Toxic Times "

Medical and Legal Briefs- Vol.4, No. 3. Nov./Dec. 1998. " Cholinesterase Not a

Reliable Indicator of OP Pesticide Poisoning " $5.00. This article explains why

cholinesterase inhibitor tests do not singlehandedly prove chemical injury.