Harmful effects of pesticides

Exposure to pesticides can cause harmful effects. The harmful effects of pesticides can be categorized as acute, delayed or allergic.  Acute toxicity is characterised as diseases or visible injuries that can occur right away after exposure to a pesticide (usually within 24 hours).

Many people want to deal with the problem of a termite infestation all by themselves. If you don’t have any prior experience to use insecticide on your own, it is better to call for professional help. A team of professionals with their termite spray can ensure that your house gets rid of 100% of termites. There are several caveats attached with do-it-yourself termite spray.

(To consult pest control experts in Sydney, chat now or call (02) 8007 4666!)

Making an effort and Spending time

If you are going to treat your house with termite spray on your own, then you have to carve out a big window of time in your schedule. It is not possible for those of us who have dedicated full-time jobs. Also, not many people are fond of ruining their weekend by exhausting themselves in such tiring activities.

Apart from designating your precious time to the activity of termite spray, you will have to make arduous efforts to make the exercise effective and fruitful. Many times, termites infest cramped spaces in the house that are hard to access. Treating such places with toxic chemicals even becomes more taxing. If you have decided to go on your own to treat termite infestation, then remember that you will be required to spend considerable time and put in a lot of effort to carry out a successful termite spray in your house.

Unfamiliarity with Termite Species can Make Your Spray Ineffective.

The same type of termites infests not all houses in Australia. Seven different species inflict damage to buildings in the country. Many house owners can’t differentiate between all these different types of termites necessary to make termite spray effectively. Not all species have identical habitats and might need different pesticide options to kill them.

A professional pest control team knows the details of every species of termite that can infest your house. They identify them and then devise their treatment method accordingly.

You Can’t Control the Environmental Consequences.

If you are doing termite spray treatment on your own, then there are very high chances that you will inadvertently harm the environment with this exercise. Insecticides that are mostly used in DIY termite spray are potentially very harmful to the local environment. If you are spraying the mix of dangerous chemicals in and around your house, it can result in horrible consequences for vegetation, pets and wildlife. Highly toxic pesticides will kill termites in your garden, but they will also kill all the good bugs in your garden that assist in the flourishing of plantations.

On the other hand, pesticide products used by professionals are environment friendly and yet equally effective to control termite infestation. (Read more about eco-friendly pest control solutions.)

Your Personal Safety will be Compromised.

Toxic insecticide products are not bad for other living beings in your house and its vicinity. If you are doing termite spray on your own, you are also putting yourself and your family at unavoidable risk. When you can get rid of termites with professionals’ help, it will be imprudent to try out a termite treatment on your own.

You Might not Have the Right Apparatus.

If you think you can do termite spray on your own by just using a simple spray bottle, you might get disappointed at the end of your termite treatment when you will not get the expected results. Different specialised instruments are used by professional termite control Sydney personnel, ensuring the effectiveness of termite spray. They have injection rods, large tanks with pumps used to do barrier treatment for termite infestation.

If you have been convinced that it is better to hire professionals than to do termites spray on your own, call Masters Pest Control Sydney at (02) 8007 4666

What is acute toxicity?

Acute effects of pesticides are usually more evident and are often reversible if the necessary medical help is provided as soon as possible. Assessing the toxicity of pesticides are commonly done by studying a pesticide’s relative ability to induce acute effects. Acute toxicity can be measured more accurately than delayed effects and its effects are easier to spot.

YOU SHOULDN’T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT TOXICITY. ASK US ABOUT OUR SAFE PEST CONTROL OPTIONS!

Here are the ways wherein you can be affected by pesticides

• Through oral ingestion
• Through inhalation
• Through skin contact
• Eye contact

Acute oral effects involve the oral cavity, throat and stomach, which some types of pesticides can damage.

When accidentally ingested, pesticides will not only burn your digestive system but can be absorbed and carried throughout the human blood system and may cause harm in many different ways.

We cannot underscore enough how harmful pesticides are. By ingesting even a tiny amount of pesticides when wiping your mouth with a contaminated glove, it can make you sick and cause eating and drinking problems.

Types of acute toxicity caused by pesticides

Acute inhalation effects

Difficulty breathing and breathing disorders of the human respiratory system can originate from pesticides. In some cases, it may not directly damage your respiratory system. However, when pesticides are carried rapidly into your blood system, they can spread throughout your whole body and cause extensive damage.

Acute dermal effects

Just a small amount of pesticides can hurt your skin. Some types of pesticides can cause your skin to itch, blister, rupture, or even change colour. Other pesticides can pass through your skin and eyes and get into your body system.

Eye Problem

Some types of pesticides that get into your eyes can cause temporal or constant blindness or serious irritation. The eyes can also serve as an entry point for a pesticide, which can mix into your blood and travel throughout your body, causing irreversible damage.

Delayed effects

Delayed or postponed effects of pesticides are illnesses or injuries that do not manifest within 24 hours after being exposed to pesticides. The term “chronic effects” is frequently used to describe delayed effects. Still, it is often applied only for some types of delayed effects—repeated exposure to a pesticide or group of them or a combination of pesticides over a long time. A single exposure to a pesticide or their combination causes a damaging reaction which becomes visible much later.

Exposure to Pesticides

Sometimes repeated exposure to a pesticides or family of pesticides will result in a delayed effect. Greater exposure may cause acute effect. A single exposure may cause damage even if the effects do not manifest immediately.

For instance, high exposure to herbicide paraquat may cause severe or fatal lung injury that may not appear for 3 to 14 days after the initial exposure.

Permanent or common exposures over a long period of time make it more likely that all the necessary factors will be present. There may also be changes in genetics that can result in cancer development or other delayed effects.

We’ll help you remove pests without any exposure to harmful chemicals. Book the safest pest control today!

What are the types of delayed effects?

• chronic effects
• in development and reproduction
• systemic effects

Chronic effects usually take few years to manifest after the first exposure. Some delayed effects which are believed to result from chronic toxicity include the production of tumours (oncogenic effect), occurrence of malignancy or cancer (carcinogenic effect) and changes in the genes or chromosomes (mutagenic effect).

Risks involved when using pesticides

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will decide what steps need to be made for decreasing or even eliminating the risk because there is obvious evidence that pesticides can produce chronic, developmental, or even reproductive health effects. Further research is still needed to understand the negative effects of pesticides fully. This is why it is good to reduce your exposure to all kinds of pesticides to stay safe.

Allergic reaction caused by pesticides

They have damaging effects due to the body’s reaction to a substance where some people may be affected more than others. Substances that cause allergies are called sensitisers.

Some people are sensitive to certain pesticides. You may not immediately have an allergic reaction to pesticides after the first exposure, but that does not guarantee that you won’t have an allergic reaction after subsequent exposures.

What are the side effects?

Systemic effects like asthma, dangerous shock, irritation of the skin (rash, blisters, open sores), nose and eye irritation (itchy, tears in the eyes, sneezing). Some people are more sensitive to chemicals than others and may be prone to having an allergic response to pesticides.

Usually, pesticides have precautionary labels. You can see the warning: “This product may produce temporary allergic side effects characterised by redness of the eyes, mild bronchial irritation, and redness or rash on exposed skin areas. Persons having allergic reactions should contact a physician.”

Occupational Health And Safety

A regulation under the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA), known as the Hazard Communication Standard (HCS), requires employers to secure protection for workers exposed to dangerous chemicals in normal working conditions and emergencies.

Employers are required to:

• have a list of the dangerous chemicals in the work environment;
• obtain material safety data sheets for all dangerous substances and keep them in a file that is available to all workers
• make sure that all containers of dangerous materials are labelled at all times
• train all workers on how to handle dangerous substances