Insecticides "Kill Bugs Dead." But What Do They Do To Your Kids?

My young son and I moved into our new house about three years ago and we love it. But for two summers now, we have been besieged by ants in the kitchen. I tried using bait traps (as well as a few other non-toxic tricks) but when I found a small village of dead ants sweetly drowning inside the jar of marshmallow cream, I reluctantly turned to the big guns and used a commercial ant-killing spray indoors and out. I followed instructions and took precautions, but I’m left wondering what the potential health risks are to my son and what I can do differently this year to solve the problem without chemicals.

Source: Me
Somehow the phrases "KEEP OUT OF REACH OF CHILDREN" and
"For Use in Kitchens, Pantries & Food Preparation Areas" don't seem like they belong together...

Unique Vulnerability of Children

It probably comes as no surprise that insecticides are inherently toxic; after all, their intent is to kill living organisms. But did you know that children are particularly vulnerable to negative health effects from insecticides and other pesticides such as herbicides, rodenticides, and fungicides? According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), children are at a heightened risk due to physiological and behavioral reasons:

• Children’s still-developing nervous, immune, and digestive systems are less able to detoxify and excrete pollutants compared to adults.
• Children breathe in more air than adults and inhale almost twice as many pollutants.
• Children spend more time outdoors on grass, playing fields, and play equipment where pesticides may be present.
• Children crawl on the floor and have full body contact with pesticide residues on carpets.
• Children’s hand-to-mouth contact is more frequent, exposing them to toxins through ingestion.

Source: morgueFile

Exposures

As the previous section suggests, pesticides enter children’s bodies through skin absorption, inhalation, ingestion, and through the eyes. The most common way that children get pesticides in their bodies is absorption through the skin. Foggers, bug bombs, and aerosols are the most likely to be inhaled since the particles are so small; they also leave residues on carpet, furniture, toys, and other household items. Traces of insecticides can remain on surfaces in the home for weeks, months, or even years. And even if you don't use these chemicals yourself, pesticides can drift far from where they are sprayed and often miss their intended mark. 

In addition to home and garden use, keep in mind that children may also be exposed to insecticides at other places and in other ways, like through food, at schools and playgrounds, and on pets.

Food

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) asserts that for some children, diet may be the most influential source of exposure to insecticides. They cite an intervention study demonstrating that children who switched from a conventional to an organic diet had a “drastic and immediate decrease in urinary excretion of pesticide metabolites.” In other words, kids who eat an organic diet have less evidence of insecticides in their urine.

According to an Environmental Working Group (EWG) report, nine out of ten American children between the ages of 6 months and 5 years are exposed to combinations of 13 different neurotoxic insecticides in the food they eat. Many of these insecticides are potentially neurotoxic and have been linked with a variety of childhood diseases.

Source: Wall Street Journal via USDA

Schools

Insecticides are commonly used inside schools to control ants and cockroaches in cafeterias, classrooms, and offices. There have been quite a few documented cases of children and school workers being sickened by insecticide treatments; one West Virginia school was even forced to close and undergo extensive remodeling in 1989 after federal investigators found concentrations of a now-banned insecticide at eleven times higher than the safe level. The non-profit environmental group Beyond Pesticides reports that of the 40 commonly used pesticides used in schools, 28 may cause cancer, 26 have reproductive effects, 26 damage the nervous system, and 13 can cause birth defects. 

Playgrounds

Most potential playground pesticide exposures come from herbicides (weed-killers) used on grassy areas. But did you know that the majority of wooden play structures, decks, fences, and picnic tables are treated with an insecticide? Chromated copper arsenate (CCA) is a chemical wood preservative and termite preventative containing chromium, copper, and arsenic. Though greatly restricted since 2003, CCA was in wide use for many years beginning in the 1970s.

Arsenic is a known human carcinogen and is acutely toxic at certain levels. CCA can be ingested or absorbed through the skin. The EPA recommends that children should always wash hands after contact with treated wood and ensure that food does not come into direct contact with any treated wood. The Consumer Product Safety Commission takes it a step further and recommends that children should not eat at all on a playground where CCA chemicals are present or play underneath structures, as CCA leaches from the wood into the ground beneath and is easily transferred to the mouth.

Research is limited, but data suggest that a child’s exposure when playing on or near CCA-treated lumber may exceed safe levels. So how do you know if the wood at the playground or the deck at your home is treated with CCA? Chances are, if it was built before 2004 and is not made of cedar or redwood, it contains CCA; so be sure to use caution when picnicking!

Source: Harbor Light News

Pets

Pets are another common route of insecticide exposure for children. Many products used for controlling fleas and ticks, including flea collars, shampoos, soaps, sprays, and powders include dangerous insecticides. Some of these insecticides work by leaving chemical residues on a pet’s fur; chemicals are easily transferred to humans through petting, or touching contaminated bedding. One Minnesota study found that 50% of households with pets used these types of products.

If you think “they wouldn’t sell it if it wasn’t safe,” think again. For example, the EPA has known for decades that the carbamate insecticide “propoxur” is harmful to humans. Yet it is still widely available in flea collars. Through a voluntary agreement, the manufacturers have agreed to stop production of these flea collars, though they will remain on store shelves until sold out.

Oh, and another thing? These treatments aren't always so great for pets either. Read the EPA's analysis here.

Classes of Insecticides

There are many classes of insecticides; the American Academy of Pediatrics has identified the six categories as the most dangerous for children’s health. These can be found in many popular household, lawn & garden, head lice, and flea control products:

• Organophosphates 
• Carbamates
• Pyrethroids/pyrethrins 
• Organochlorines
• Neonicotinoids 
• N-phenylpyrazoles (commonly called Fipronil)

Exposures to these types of insecticides are linked to both acute (sudden onset) and chronic (long term) health effects in children. 

Acute Health Effects

Surprisingly, there is limited data regarding insecticide use and acute health effects. The United States has no national tracking system for consumer or professional use, and data systems for poison control centers often have incomplete or inadequate information. Below is what we do know from hospital and poison control reports.

Source:American Academy of Pediatrics

Chronic Health Effects

Like most health effects due to environmental factors, long-term effects from insecticide use can be more difficult to evaluate. However, a number of animal and epidemiological studies have identified problems including adverse birth outcomes, pediatric cancers, neurobehavioral and cognitive deficits, and others. The relationships between insecticides, pediatric cancer, and adverse neurodevelopment are particularly strong. 


Brain Tumors

• Many studies report a relationship between pesticide use and brain tumors in children, with most exposures coming from home, garden, and pet usage. In addition to a child's direct exposure, a parent's occupational exposures before the child's birth was also associated with with childhood brain cancer.

Leukemia

• Other studies showed a link between leukemia and pesticide use. Like the case above, household and parental occupational exposures were common. A 1987 National Cancer Institute study reported that the risk of childhood leukemia increased nearly four times when pesticides were used within the house at least once per week, and increased more than six times when garden pesticides were used at least once a month (though type of pesticide was not specified).

Lymphoma

• A Denver-area study found that children with lymphoma (cancer of the lymphatic system) were twice as likely to have been exposed to insecticides during household exterminations compared to healthy children.

Birth Defects and Other Adverse Birth Outcomes

• Though evidence is limited and sometimes conflicting, the AAP reports that insecticides are linked with many types of birth defects including cleft palate, limb anomalies, neural tube defects (birth defects of the brain and spine), premature birth, and fetal death. 

Endocrine Effects

• Some organochlorine insecticides and other pesticides are thought to have adverse effects on the endocrine system. Researchers have linked exposures to early puberty, cryptorchidism (undescended testicles), hypospadias (opening of urethra on the underside of the penis), and polythelia (supernumerary nipples).

Neurodevelopmental Effects

As previously mentioned, many insecticides work by poisoning the nervous systems of their target organisms. So it should come as no surprise that these nerve toxins also affect humans. Though the research into how chronic, low level exposures before and after birth affect children’s health is somewhat limited, there is a growing body of evidence to suggest the effects are significant. In particular, organochlorine and organophosphate insecticides are implicated in the following neurodevelopmental disorders:

• Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD): A Harvard study found that children with high levels of organophosphates measured in their urine were more likely to have ADHD.
• Autism: One study found that mothers of children with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) were twice as likely to have used a pet shampoo for flea and tick prevention; the highest risk was for mothers who used the shampoo during the second trimester of pregnancy. Another study reports that organophosphate insecticide exposures double the risk of developmental disorders. A California study found that 28% of mothers who lived near fields sprayed with organochlorines have children with autism.
• Lowered mental and motor development
• Reduced IQ

The reasons why these chemicals significantly affect some children and not others are also being studied. Research is focusing on how genetic variables may play a role in how individuals metabolize toxins like organophosphates.

Alternatives to Conventional Insecticides

Pretty much everyone agrees that prevention is the best method for insect control. Removing food sources, sealing cracks and crevices, and removing trash quickly are a few ways to control insect infestations. But despite your best intentions, sometimes unwanted bugs get in. Here are some alternatives that are lower in toxicity than conventional insecticides:

• Boric acid: this is a low-toxicity mineral but can still pose health hazards and should be used with care. Boric acid should not be used near children or animals, but it can be used in cracks and crevices, behind refrigerators and counters, and in other places where it will not be in direct contact. Boric acid takes longer to work than chemical insecticides but is highly effective over time.
• Botanical sprays include Mint Oil, Cedar Oil, Orange Oil
• Cayenne pepper
• Desiccating dusts such as diatomaceous earth and pure amorphous silica aerogel: these products kill insects by causing them to dehydrate and die. Again, while these are among the least toxic insecticides, they are not without risk. Wear a dust mask and keep it away from children and pets.
• Sticky traps

Source: The National

Still have questions? Check the Beyond Pesticides website for a comprehensive, bug-specific list of best products and practices.

Other Simple Strategies

• Eat organic produce if possible (especially if you are pregnant).
• Wash your produce thoroughly to reduce pesticide contamination.
• Make sure your children wash their hands after playing anywhere pesticides might be present.
• Seek out non-toxic alternatives for head lice treatments and flea infestations.
• Ask your school what their policy is on pesticide use.
• If you do use insecticides, protect yourself with a mask, gloves, and goggles.

Final Thoughts

In the 1940s, DDT-infused wallpaper featuring Disney characters was created and marketed for pest control in children’s bedrooms. Like parents today, families who used this product were doing their best to protect their kids and trusting that products were safe. We know now that DDT is highly toxic, and it has been banned in the US for many years. Yet many other dangerous chemicals still exist. Aggressive marketing, lax regulations, and our desire for quick results have led to a glut of pesticide products on the market. But a growing body of evidence suggests that insecticides can have devastating effects on children’s health.

Source: toxipedia.com

We can’t eradicate toxins from our environment completely, but we can take steps to eliminate many of them from our homes. I’m tossing out my conventional bug sprays and I’m going to give boric acid a shot this summer. I’m also planning to fill those cracks that I’ve been meaning to get around to since we moved in. I understand why bug sprays are popular. But the risks to my family are just not worth the benefits.