The Center for Public Integrity has launched an investigation into the allegedly safe pesticides that are causing more than 25 percent of fatal and nearly fatal human poisonings. The pesticides in question use pyrethrins from flowers (or their synthetic counterparts, pyrethroids) to ward off insects as opposed to organophosphates that were originally made from nerve gas.

These insecticides were known as the safest in the market until the Center for Public Integrity’s analysis of EPA pesticide incidence reports. As it turns out, the pesticides containing pyrethrins cause significantly more serious human poisonings than any other group of insecticides. They are used in a wide range of products including Hartz Dog Flea & Tick Killer, Raid Ant and Roach Killer, bug-repellant clothing, flea collars, automatic misting devices, lawn-care products, and carpet sprays.

The EPA holds that most side effects are minor or result from improper use, such as accidentally being sprayed in the face. However, there are plenty of real-life horror stories of pyrethrin products gone bad. You can read the heart-breaking story of 2-year-old Amber who died after her mother used Osco Lice Treatment shampoo on her infested hair on the Center for Public Integrity’s “Perils of the New Pesticides” page.

These figures could still be understated. Experts point out that not everyone who has a pesticide-poisoning incident reports it. They estimate that the EPA receives only a fraction of the actual number of cases.

Serious conditions that arise from exposure to pyrethrins and/or pyrethroids are usually caused by an allergic reaction to the chrysanthemum-derived substances. People who have ragweed allergies or asthma are the most susceptible.

The Food and Drug administration has recognized the potential harm in the “safe” pesticides for more than 15 years. The EPA had planned to look at pyrethrin and pyrethroid pesticides in 2010, but now says that they will speed along the process.

For more information about the study from the Center for Public Integrity, visit the link below:

http://www.publicintegrity.org/investigations/pesticides/pages/introduction/

If you feel like you or a loved one has been harmed by one of these products or a defective drug, attorneys with Cappolino, Dodd and Krebs can help you.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, August 5th, 2008 at 6:05 pm and is filed under Safety, Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.