Household insecticides may damage humans as well as bugs

Working the Bugs Out

Long before I came to HSI, I worked in an office where every two months we’d get a visit from Gus.

Gus was the bug guy. He was very friendly, so we all liked him just fine. But we hated to see him at the reception desk.

He always stunk up the place.

Gus went from room to room, spraying the baseboards with some kind of industrial-strength roach killer. And we all went home with headaches.

After each of these visits, one of my coworkers – a chronic hypochondriac – would fuss that we were going to get lung cancer from the sprayings.

Turns out, my coworker’s prediction was over the top, but on the right track.

A couple of weeks ago I wrote to you with two surprising details. 1) The EPA reports that indoor air is often 2-5 times more polluted than outdoor air. 2) Chemicals in some “air fresheners” actually increase indoor pollution.

But air fresheners are not deliberately designed to be toxic. So imagine what you’re doing to the air in your home when you spray insect poison.

Imagine what you’re doing to your health.

Immunity attacks

Christine Parks, Ph.D., studies disease control for the National Institute of Environmental Health Services. She had a hunch that household insecticides might make us sick. Previous studies had already linked two autoimmune disorders – lupus and rheumatoid arthritis – to the use of agricultural pesticides.

Dr. Parks and her NIEHS team found a study that gathered health data on nearly 77,000 postmenopausal women. And the study happened to include data on residential insecticide use.

Results:

• Women who used insecticides had a higher risk of developing lupus and rheumatoid arthritis
• Women who used the most insecticides were twice as likely to develop the two disorders

You can find “green” insecticides with a quick Google search. But you still won’t be able to get away from Gus. He’s out there. He, or someone like him, is spraying a toxic concoction in offices, stores, restaurants, schools – anywhere bugs go…which is everywhere we go.

Sources:
“Household Insecticides May Be Linked to Autoimmune Diseases” Randy Dotinga, HealthDay News, healthday.com
“One Pair of Dirty Hands Equals Many Infections” Reuters Health, 10/20/09, reutershealth.com