BACK TOTOP Browse A-ZSearchBrowse A-ZABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ0-9 E-mail FormEmail ResultsName:Email address:Recipients Name:Recipients address:Message: Print-FriendlyBookmarksbookmarks-menuInsecticide poisoningOrganophosphate poisoning; Carbamate poisoningInsecticide is any chemical that kills bugs. Insecticide poisoning occurs when someone swallows or breathes in an insecticide or it is absorbed through the skin.This article is for information only. DO NOT use it to treat or manage an actual poison exposure. If you or someone you are with has an exposure, call your local emergency number (such as 911), or your local poison control center can be reached directly by calling the national toll-free Poison Help hotline (1-800-222-1222) from anywhere in the United States. Poisonous Ingredient Most household bug sprays contain plant-derived chemicals called pyrethrins. These chemicals were originally isolated from chrysanthemum flowers and are generally not harmful. However, they can cause life-threatening breathing problems if they are breathed in.Bug spraysThis article discusses the harmful effects from breathing in or swallowing bug spray (repellent). This article is for information only. DO NOT use i...Read Article Now Book Mark Article Stronger insecticides, which a farm or commercial greenhouse might use or someone might store in their garage, contain many dangerous substances. These include:Carbamates Organophosphates Paradichlorobenzenes (mothballs)ParadichlorobenzenesParadichlorobenzene is a white, solid chemical with a very strong odor. Poisoning can occur if you swallow this chemical. This article is for inform...Read Article Now Book Mark Article Where Found Various insecticides contain these chemicals. Symptoms Below are symptoms of insecticide poisoning in different parts of the body.Symptoms of pyrethrin poisoning:LUNGS AND AIRWAYSBreathing difficulty NERVOUS SYSTEMComa (decreased level of consciousness and lack of responsiveness) ComaDecreased alertness is a state of reduced awareness and is often a serious condition. A coma is the most severe state of decreased alertness from whi...Read Article Now Book Mark Article SeizuresSeizuresA seizure is the physical changes in behavior that occurs during an episode of specific types of abnormal electrical activity in the brain. The term ...Read Article Now Book Mark Article SKINIrritation Redness or swelling Symptoms of organophosphate or carbamate poisoning:HEART AND BLOODSlow heart rate LUNGS AND AIRWAYSBreathing difficulty WheezingWheezingWheezing is a high-pitched whistling sound during breathing. It occurs when air moves through narrowed breathing tubes in the lungs.Read Article Now Book Mark Article NERVOUS SYSTEMAnxiety Coma (decreased level of consciousness and lack of responsiveness) Seizures Dizziness DizzinessDizziness is a term that is often used to describe 2 different symptoms: lightheadedness and vertigo. Lightheadedness is a feeling that you might fai...Read Article Now Book Mark Article Headache HeadacheA headache is pain or discomfort in the head, scalp, or neck. Serious causes of headaches are rare. Most people with headaches can feel much better...Read Article Now Book Mark Article WeaknessWeaknessWeakness is reduced strength in one or more muscles.Read Article Now Book Mark Article BLADDER AND KIDNEYSIncreased urination EYES, EARS, NOSE, AND THROATDrooling from increased saliva Drooling from increased salivaDrooling is saliva flowing outside the mouth.Read Article Now Book Mark Article Increased tears in the eyes Increased tears in the eyesWatery eyes means you have too many tears in and draining from the eyes. Tears help keep the surface of the eye moist. They wash away particles and...Read Article Now Book Mark Article Small pupils STOMACH AND INTESTINESAbdominal cramps Diarrhea DiarrheaDiarrhea is when you pass loose or watery stool.Read Article Now Book Mark Article Loss of appetite Nausea and vomitingNausea and vomitingNausea is feeling an urge to vomit. It is often called "being sick to your stomach. "Vomiting or throwing-up forces the contents of the stomach up t...Read Article Now Book Mark Article SKINBlue-colored lips and fingernailsBlue-colored lips and fingernailsA bluish color to the skin or mucous membrane is usually due to a lack of oxygen in the blood. The medical term is cyanosis.Read Article Now Book Mark Article Note: Serious poisoning can occur if an organophosphate gets on your bare skin or if you don't wash your skin soon after it gets on you. Large amounts of the chemical soak through the skin unless you are protected. Life-threatening paralysis and death can occur very quickly.Symptoms of paradichlorobenzene poisoning:EYES, EARS, THROAT, AND MOUTHBurning in mouthLUNGS AND AIRWAYSBreathing problems (rapid, slow, or painful) Cough Shallow breathingMUSCLESMuscle spasmsNERVOUS SYSTEMChanges in alertness Headache Slurred speech WeaknessSKINYellow skin (jaundice)Yellow skinJaundice is a yellow color of the skin, mucus membranes, or eyes. The yellow coloring comes from bilirubin, a byproduct of old red blood cells. Jau...Read Article Now Book Mark Article STOMACH AND INTESTINESDiarrhea Abdominal pain Nausea and vomitingNote: Paradichlorobenzene mothballs are not very toxic. They have replaced the more toxic camphor and naphthalene types. Home Care Get medical help right away. Do not make the person throw up unless poison control or a health care provider tells you to. If the chemical is on the skin or in the eyes, flush with lots of water for at least 15 minutes.If the person breathed in the poison, move them to fresh air right away. Before Calling Emergency Have this information ready:Person's age, weight, and condition Name of the product (ingredients and strength, if known) Time it was swallowed Amount swallowed Poison Control Your local poison control center can be reached directly by calling the national toll-free Poison Help hotline (1-800-222-1222) from anywhere in the United States. This national hotline will let you talk to experts in poisoning. They will give you further instructions.Poison control centerFor a POISON EMERGENCY call:1-800-222-1222ANYWHERE IN THE UNITED STATESThis national hotline number will let you talk to experts in poisoning. This ...Read Article Now Book Mark Article This is a free and confidential service. All local poison control centers in the United States use this national number. You should call if you have any questions about poisoning or poison prevention. It does NOT need to be an emergency. You can call for any reason, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. What to Expect at the Emergency Room Take the container with you to the hospital, if possible.The provider will measure and monitor the person's vital signs, including temperature, pulse, breathing rate, and blood pressure.Vital signsVital signs reflect essential body functions, including your heartbeat, breathing rate, temperature, and blood pressure. Your health care provider m...Read Article Now Book Mark Article Tests that may be done include:Blood and urine tests Bronchoscopy -- camera down the throat to look for burns in the airways and lungs BronchoscopyBronchoscopy is a test to view the airways and diagnose lung disease. It may also be used during the treatment of some lung conditions.Read Article Now Book Mark Article Chest x-ray Chest x-rayA chest x-ray is an x-ray of the chest, lungs, heart, large arteries, ribs, and diaphragm.Read Article Now Book Mark Article Electrocardiogram (ECG) ElectrocardiogramAn electrocardiogram (ECG) is a test that records the electrical activity of the heart.Read Article Now Book Mark Article Endoscopy -- camera down the throat to look for burns in the esophagus and the stomachEndoscopyEndoscopy is a way of looking inside the body using a flexible tube that has a small camera and light on the end of it. This instrument is called an...Read Article Now Book Mark Article Treatment may include:Fluids by IV (through a vein) Medicines to counteract the poisonous effects, such as atropine Medicines to support the blood pressure or heart rate Medicine to treat symptoms Tube through the mouth into the stomach to empty the stomach (gastric lavage) Gastric lavageGastric suction is a procedure to empty the contents of your stomach.Read Article Now Book Mark Article Washing of the skin (irrigation), perhaps every few hours for several days Surgery to remove burned skin Breathing support, including tube through the mouth into the lungs and connected to a breathing machine (ventilator)Breathing machineA ventilator is a machine that breathes for you or helps you breathe. It is also called a breathing machine or respirator. The ventilator: Is attac...Read Article Now Book Mark Article Outlook (Prognosis) How well someone does depends on how severe the poisoning is and how quickly treatment is received. The faster medical help is given, the better the chance for recovery. Swallowing these poisons can have severe effects on many parts of the body.It is a good sign that recovery will occur if the person continues to improve in the first 4 to 6 hours after they receive treatment.Although the symptoms are the same for carbamate and organophosphate poisoning, it is harder to recover after organophosphate poisoning.Open ReferencesReferencesRoberts DM, Bode M. Pesticides. In: Cameron P, Little M, Mitra B, Deasy C, eds. Textbook of Adult Emergency Medicine. 5th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2020:chap 25.15.Welker KL, Thompson TM. Pesticides. In: Walls RM, ed. Rosen's Emergency Medicine: Concepts and Clinical Practice. 10th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2023:chap 152.AllVideoImagesTogRelated Information Review Date: 11/2/2023 Reviewed By: Jesse Borke, MD, CPE, FAAEM, FACEP, Attending Physician at Kaiser Permanente, Orange County, CA. Also reviewed by David C. Dugdale, MD, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team. The information provided herein should not be used during any medical emergency or for the diagnosis or treatment of any medical condition. A licensed medical professional should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions. Links to other sites are provided for information only -- they do not constitute endorsements of those other sites. No warranty of any kind, either expressed or implied, is made as to the accuracy, reliability, timeliness, or correctness of any translations made by a third-party service of the information provided herein into any other language. © 1997- A.D.A.M., a business unit of Ebix, Inc. Any duplication or distribution of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited. © 1997- All rights reserved. A.D.A.M. content is best viewed in IE9 or above, Firefox and Google Chrome browser.Content is best viewed in IE9 or above, Firefox and Google Chrome browser.
Insecticide poisoningOrganophosphate poisoning; Carbamate poisoningInsecticide is any chemical that kills bugs. Insecticide poisoning occurs when someone swallows or breathes in an insecticide or it is absorbed through the skin.This article is for information only. DO NOT use it to treat or manage an actual poison exposure. If you or someone you are with has an exposure, call your local emergency number (such as 911), or your local poison control center can be reached directly by calling the national toll-free Poison Help hotline (1-800-222-1222) from anywhere in the United States. Poisonous Ingredient Most household bug sprays contain plant-derived chemicals called pyrethrins. These chemicals were originally isolated from chrysanthemum flowers and are generally not harmful. However, they can cause life-threatening breathing problems if they are breathed in.Bug spraysThis article discusses the harmful effects from breathing in or swallowing bug spray (repellent). This article is for information only. DO NOT use i...Read Article Now Book Mark Article Stronger insecticides, which a farm or commercial greenhouse might use or someone might store in their garage, contain many dangerous substances. These include:Carbamates Organophosphates Paradichlorobenzenes (mothballs)ParadichlorobenzenesParadichlorobenzene is a white, solid chemical with a very strong odor. Poisoning can occur if you swallow this chemical. This article is for inform...Read Article Now Book Mark Article Where Found Various insecticides contain these chemicals. Symptoms Below are symptoms of insecticide poisoning in different parts of the body.Symptoms of pyrethrin poisoning:LUNGS AND AIRWAYSBreathing difficulty NERVOUS SYSTEMComa (decreased level of consciousness and lack of responsiveness) ComaDecreased alertness is a state of reduced awareness and is often a serious condition. A coma is the most severe state of decreased alertness from whi...Read Article Now Book Mark Article SeizuresSeizuresA seizure is the physical changes in behavior that occurs during an episode of specific types of abnormal electrical activity in the brain. The term ...Read Article Now Book Mark Article SKINIrritation Redness or swelling Symptoms of organophosphate or carbamate poisoning:HEART AND BLOODSlow heart rate LUNGS AND AIRWAYSBreathing difficulty WheezingWheezingWheezing is a high-pitched whistling sound during breathing. It occurs when air moves through narrowed breathing tubes in the lungs.Read Article Now Book Mark Article NERVOUS SYSTEMAnxiety Coma (decreased level of consciousness and lack of responsiveness) Seizures Dizziness DizzinessDizziness is a term that is often used to describe 2 different symptoms: lightheadedness and vertigo. Lightheadedness is a feeling that you might fai...Read Article Now Book Mark Article Headache HeadacheA headache is pain or discomfort in the head, scalp, or neck. Serious causes of headaches are rare. Most people with headaches can feel much better...Read Article Now Book Mark Article WeaknessWeaknessWeakness is reduced strength in one or more muscles.Read Article Now Book Mark Article BLADDER AND KIDNEYSIncreased urination EYES, EARS, NOSE, AND THROATDrooling from increased saliva Drooling from increased salivaDrooling is saliva flowing outside the mouth.Read Article Now Book Mark Article Increased tears in the eyes Increased tears in the eyesWatery eyes means you have too many tears in and draining from the eyes. Tears help keep the surface of the eye moist. They wash away particles and...Read Article Now Book Mark Article Small pupils STOMACH AND INTESTINESAbdominal cramps Diarrhea DiarrheaDiarrhea is when you pass loose or watery stool.Read Article Now Book Mark Article Loss of appetite Nausea and vomitingNausea and vomitingNausea is feeling an urge to vomit. It is often called "being sick to your stomach. "Vomiting or throwing-up forces the contents of the stomach up t...Read Article Now Book Mark Article SKINBlue-colored lips and fingernailsBlue-colored lips and fingernailsA bluish color to the skin or mucous membrane is usually due to a lack of oxygen in the blood. The medical term is cyanosis.Read Article Now Book Mark Article Note: Serious poisoning can occur if an organophosphate gets on your bare skin or if you don't wash your skin soon after it gets on you. Large amounts of the chemical soak through the skin unless you are protected. Life-threatening paralysis and death can occur very quickly.Symptoms of paradichlorobenzene poisoning:EYES, EARS, THROAT, AND MOUTHBurning in mouthLUNGS AND AIRWAYSBreathing problems (rapid, slow, or painful) Cough Shallow breathingMUSCLESMuscle spasmsNERVOUS SYSTEMChanges in alertness Headache Slurred speech WeaknessSKINYellow skin (jaundice)Yellow skinJaundice is a yellow color of the skin, mucus membranes, or eyes. The yellow coloring comes from bilirubin, a byproduct of old red blood cells. Jau...Read Article Now Book Mark Article STOMACH AND INTESTINESDiarrhea Abdominal pain Nausea and vomitingNote: Paradichlorobenzene mothballs are not very toxic. They have replaced the more toxic camphor and naphthalene types. Home Care Get medical help right away. Do not make the person throw up unless poison control or a health care provider tells you to. If the chemical is on the skin or in the eyes, flush with lots of water for at least 15 minutes.If the person breathed in the poison, move them to fresh air right away. Before Calling Emergency Have this information ready:Person's age, weight, and condition Name of the product (ingredients and strength, if known) Time it was swallowed Amount swallowed Poison Control Your local poison control center can be reached directly by calling the national toll-free Poison Help hotline (1-800-222-1222) from anywhere in the United States. This national hotline will let you talk to experts in poisoning. They will give you further instructions.Poison control centerFor a POISON EMERGENCY call:1-800-222-1222ANYWHERE IN THE UNITED STATESThis national hotline number will let you talk to experts in poisoning. This ...Read Article Now Book Mark Article This is a free and confidential service. All local poison control centers in the United States use this national number. You should call if you have any questions about poisoning or poison prevention. It does NOT need to be an emergency. You can call for any reason, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. What to Expect at the Emergency Room Take the container with you to the hospital, if possible.The provider will measure and monitor the person's vital signs, including temperature, pulse, breathing rate, and blood pressure.Vital signsVital signs reflect essential body functions, including your heartbeat, breathing rate, temperature, and blood pressure. Your health care provider m...Read Article Now Book Mark Article Tests that may be done include:Blood and urine tests Bronchoscopy -- camera down the throat to look for burns in the airways and lungs BronchoscopyBronchoscopy is a test to view the airways and diagnose lung disease. It may also be used during the treatment of some lung conditions.Read Article Now Book Mark Article Chest x-ray Chest x-rayA chest x-ray is an x-ray of the chest, lungs, heart, large arteries, ribs, and diaphragm.Read Article Now Book Mark Article Electrocardiogram (ECG) ElectrocardiogramAn electrocardiogram (ECG) is a test that records the electrical activity of the heart.Read Article Now Book Mark Article Endoscopy -- camera down the throat to look for burns in the esophagus and the stomachEndoscopyEndoscopy is a way of looking inside the body using a flexible tube that has a small camera and light on the end of it. This instrument is called an...Read Article Now Book Mark Article Treatment may include:Fluids by IV (through a vein) Medicines to counteract the poisonous effects, such as atropine Medicines to support the blood pressure or heart rate Medicine to treat symptoms Tube through the mouth into the stomach to empty the stomach (gastric lavage) Gastric lavageGastric suction is a procedure to empty the contents of your stomach.Read Article Now Book Mark Article Washing of the skin (irrigation), perhaps every few hours for several days Surgery to remove burned skin Breathing support, including tube through the mouth into the lungs and connected to a breathing machine (ventilator)Breathing machineA ventilator is a machine that breathes for you or helps you breathe. It is also called a breathing machine or respirator. The ventilator: Is attac...Read Article Now Book Mark Article Outlook (Prognosis) How well someone does depends on how severe the poisoning is and how quickly treatment is received. The faster medical help is given, the better the chance for recovery. Swallowing these poisons can have severe effects on many parts of the body.It is a good sign that recovery will occur if the person continues to improve in the first 4 to 6 hours after they receive treatment.Although the symptoms are the same for carbamate and organophosphate poisoning, it is harder to recover after organophosphate poisoning.Open ReferencesReferencesRoberts DM, Bode M. Pesticides. In: Cameron P, Little M, Mitra B, Deasy C, eds. Textbook of Adult Emergency Medicine. 5th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2020:chap 25.15.Welker KL, Thompson TM. Pesticides. In: Walls RM, ed. Rosen's Emergency Medicine: Concepts and Clinical Practice. 10th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2023:chap 152.