How having your home fumigated can turn a problem into a tragedy

Don't let your exterminator leave this deadly poison behind

When termites and other critters set up shop in your home, you’ll hear how important it is to take care of the problem and protect your investment.

But before you let an exterminator anywhere near the bedroom where you sleep… the dining room where you eat… or the parlor where your grandkids roll around on the floor, there’s a life-or-death question you need to ask.

Who’s going to be protecting you?

Because exterminators across the country are using a powerful pesticide called Vikane (sulfuryl fluoride) that has a dark secret you won’t read about in a Terminix brochure.

This colorless, odorless chemical can stay in your home — poisoning everyone in it — for weeks after you’ve been told it’s safe to return.

And it can attack your brain, destroy your organs and even kill you before you ever realize you’re in danger.

The pest that won’t go away“Life as he’s known it has been stolen from him.”

That’s how the uncle of 10-year-old Peyton McCaughey describes what happened to the boy after his run-in with Vikane.

Peyton and his family were told their Florida home was safe after a Terminix contractor fumigated it with Vikane for termites. But within days Peyton started losing muscle control — and soon he couldn’t stand or talk.

He’s been confined to a hospital bed since August. And he’s not alone.

While the EPA doesn’t keep very good records on deaths linked to Vikane and other fumigation chemicals, there are plenty of stories out there. Like the toddler who died after chemicals soaked her mattress and literally poisoned her while she slept.

If you’ve ever had a house treated with Vikane, you were probably told every precaution was being made to protect you. The house is tented or tarped, and you’re not let back in until air levels are safe.

But what most people aren’t told is that there are plenty of ways the gas can remain in your home for days or weeks — even if it’s not detectable in the air.

Studies have found that Vikane can become trapped inside polyester, polystyrene insulation, wood and even latex baby bottle nipples.

Even worse, wool, polyester cushions and items such as plastic toys have been found to give off Vikane gas for as long as 40 days after your home has been fumigated.

That’s nearly six weeks!

And when you’re exposed to Vikane, it heads right to your brain and attacks your central nervous system. You can feel dizzy, nauseous, and start slurring your words — a lot of the same symptoms as a stroke — and if you’ve received a toxic dose, there is no antidote a doctor can give you to reverse the poison.

Unfortunately, Vikane has become the gas of choice for lots of exterminators, especially those treating termites. And it looks like the problem is about to get worse.

That’s because Vikane manufacturer Dow is now pitching the poison to exterminators as a treatment for bedbugs.

There’s even a cute, animated movie the chemical giant uses to tell us why Vikane is the very best way to rid our homes of these pests. And you would never guess by watching that cartoon that this killer chemical wears a skull and crossbones on its label.

Now, I know that termites and certainly bedbugs can be a terrible nuisance. But allowing someone to pump a poison gas into your home to solve the problem is what can turn an annoyance into a tragedy.

You can keep your family safe by opting for a nontoxic or minimally toxic methods of controlling them. There’s a great group called Beyond Pesticides that has simple — and safe — alternatives for treating bedbugs and termites.

Sources:

“Family alleges pest fumigation left boy severely injured” Gillian Mohney, September 4, 2015, Good Morning America, gma.yahoo.com