Jun xvi, 2014

Interviewer: Weed killer, fertilizer, insecticide. How dangerous are they? We're going to find out next on The Telescopic.

Journalist: Medical news and enquiry from Utah physicians and specialists you can apply for a happier and healthier life. You lot're listening to The Telescopic. It'due south springtime at present, a lot of people are out in their yards working on their lawn. Weed killer, fertilizer, insecticide commonly are used on lawns these days. We're going to observe out how danger they are. We've got Brad Dahl who's a poison specialist from Utah Poisonous substance Command Center in the studio with usa today. Brad, how dangerous are these things, weed killer, insecticide, fertilizer?

Brad Dahl: Well if you use them accordingly they're really not that unsafe. The existent danger is that somebody might use them inappropriately, store them inappropriately, mix them up incorrectly then that they're too stiff. Somebody accidentally beverage them or a child get into them and then we potentially take a problem.

Interviewer: Let me just run through a few scenarios where people might go exposed to these on their skin. Let's say I'1000 out mixing some liquid week killer and I go some undiluted production on my skin. How dangerous is that?

Brad Dahl: It's not incredibly dangerous but if it stays on your skin very long it tin can make information technology really cherry-red and sore.

Interviewer: How long is too long?

Brad Dahl: Anything more than 10-xv minutes y'all're looking at take a chance for what nosotros telephone call a chemical burn.

Interviewer: And how long is that burn going to persist?

Brad Dahl: It depends on how bad information technology is. It tin can be days.

Interviewer: Actually?

Brad Dahl: Yeah.

Interviewer: So the best thing to do would be...

Brad Dahl: When you lot get something on your skin, launder it off. Soap and water. Nothing fancy. When it all comes downwards to it aught works better than lather and water for removing a lot of chemicals.

Interviewer: And then lather and water, it'southward just that piece of cake. Yous get that on your skin. You wash it off with lather and water. You go dorsum out to work.

Brad Dahl: That is correct.

Interviewer: So yous shouldn't await and think, "I'm taking a shower in a couple of hours?"

Brad Dahl: Yeah. That's a bad idea. The biggest problem is that these are generally irritants to the peel and it can cause chemical burns. It'due south simply getting them on the skin and leaving them on so long that they end up with these burns, that'southward the real problem. I've had plenty of people who practise that and they finish up calling me because, "Ow, this really hurts. What practise I do at present?" Information technology's kind of too late at that point. It'southward like called-for your finger on the stove. Once you've done information technology, you've washed it.

Interviewer: When I spray weed killer on some of the areas of my lawn I utilize a backyard sprayer and sometimes we use the backyard sprayer to spray our copse. Allow's say I've got some tree spray or some weed killer and the wind blows some of that dorsum onto me. Peradventure it gets into my eye. Maybe information technology gets into my rima oris. What kind of trouble am I in in that location?

Brad Dahl: As far every bit your mouth goes it's probably non enough to crusade a problem. Certainly if you can gustatory modality information technology very strong you might want to rinse your mouth out with some water. You don't demand soap for that. Just h2o is fine and spit it out and that should exist fine. Getting in your heart, same thing. Luke warm water is what you want to use. A lot of people think you lot have to rinse your eyes with cold water because when yous put cold water in your eye sit feels better because it's numbing the eyes and they think oh wow, that really helps. It doesn't get information technology out also. Go for luke warm water for the optics.

Interviewer: We mentioned fertilizer. We fertilize the lawn one time or twice during the year. For instance at my house we use the granules and we put that out on the grass. How long before it's safe for my kids to go play on the lawn barefoot or even to just be out on the backyard or for me to get out on the lawn barefoot?

Brad Dahl: It's probably safe right away. The big trouble with that stuff is once more if it gets on your skin and it stays on very long information technology volition make it red and sore. Equally soon as you've watered it in and it's dissolved, information technology's actually not much of a risk.

Interviewer: What'southward if it's on at that place in dry granule grade.

Brad Dahl: It's non that big of a problem if y'all walk on information technology. I wouldn't recommend barefoot because once more it tin can make your feet sore but it's non a real serious risk.

Interviewer: Occasionally we'll get yellowish jackets at the firm then they'll be upward in the eaves. We put traps out and stuff merely that'due south never enough to take intendance of the trouble and so sometimes I have to get out in that location and spray the nest downward. Allow'southward say the insecticide blows back on me.

Brad Dahl: The number one thing when you're using a spray can is to brand certain information technology's pointed in the right management.

Interviewer: Obviously, yeah.

Brad Dahl: Daily we get people who are spraying information technology direct into their confront because they're non paying attention to which mode the sprayer was pointed. That'due south the number one thing. If the wind is blowing always try to stay upwind of where y'all're spraying that would exist the smart affair to practise. Once again, if you get enough on your peel that you tin can feel it and it's moisture, wash information technology off with lather and water. If yous can taste information technology just rinse your mouth at. Information technology really shouldn't be that big of a problem.

Interviewer: How unsafe are insecticides for kids? Allow's say a kid sees some ants or something out on the sidewalk and runs into the garage, grabs a can of insecticide, goes out there and tries to spray the ants and doesn't take the sprayer pointed in the correct direction and sprays it on his face or gets information technology on his hand.

Brad Dahl: That's a really good question. If you bought it at the store premixed it's probably going to be really safe. It's not designed to injure people it's designed to kill insects which is much tinier. The poisons that are used in these things, the insects are much more sensitive to them than we are. Our bodies break them down really quickly then they're really not that unsafe to us. A lot of times there's more chemicals in there to get the stuff in the solution that are actually more irritating to u.s. than the actual pesticide is. If a kid is playing with information technology and they get information technology on them you lot want to wash it off equally soon as possible. If they get it in their mouth it's ameliorate just to give them something to beverage than to try and launder a ii twelvemonth olds rima oris out. The amount that they swallow is non plenty that's going to hurt them at that bespeak. Y'all just don't want it sitting effectually in their rima oris so get them something good to beverage. People ofttimes wonder what's the best thing to requite my kid to beverage when they eat something that'due south bad for them. My answer is whatsoever they will drink freely. So, if they don't like to drink h2o, don't give them h2o. Plus, unremarkably these things taste nasty and if you give them water information technology's going to nonetheless gustation nasty and they won't want to beverage that. Requite them something that tastes really expert. Something they similar a lot and you don't accept to give a lot. Some people think information technology says on the canteen I have to give 88 ounces. No you don't. You only accept to give enough to button it downwards to the tummy. So, a couple of practiced swallows is fine and nosotros never desire to force fluids on a little kid because we don't want them to gag and nosotros don't want them to throw up.

Interviewer: Why wouldn't y'all desire them to throw upward?

Brad Dahl: Considering all of these things really aren't that dangerous in the gut. Again, it'southward the contact fourth dimension on the tissue in the oral fissure and pharynx that'southward the sensitive tissue. We'd rather it become down to the stomach and it go along going from there. If you bring it dorsum sometimes kids will gag and a little chip will go into their lungs and that'south a real problem. We don't want it in there. Of course, it can be more irritating to their mouth coming back up. It's better just to have them drink and keep it down.

Interviewer: It sounds to me like these three things, weed killer, fertilizer, and insecticide are pretty safe to use if you're using them as directed and you're post-obit instruction and you're not over-concentrating them merely the matter you actually want to be concerned almost is avoiding adventitious contact so specially with kids then keeping stuff where they're not going to become information technology, first of all. So when you're using it wearing some protective equipment.

Brad Dahl: Yeah. That's always a good thought. People similar to go out during the summer wearing no shirt. Brusk. No shoes. They get the stuff all over them and again, that's a really common telephone call I get. I'thou in the firm now, I've showered and at present my feet are actually sore and I've been spraying stuff all day. At that point information technology's too tardily to practice anything.

Interviewer: Has there always been a situation where a person has chosen from getting a fertilizer, insecticide or weed killer on themselves or ingested it to the degree that you lot've actually recommended a medical intervention?

Brad Dahl: Yep. We've had people that have had the concentrated solutions and they for whatsoever reason had it in a container that was not the original container, not a sprayer and somebody grabbed it and drank information technology thinking it was a beverage. We had to send them in for an evaluation for that. That happened. Once more, leave things in the original containers. Make sure if you lot employ a sprayer that it's marked appropriately so people know what's in it so at that place's no mystery well-nigh it. Never utilise old beverage containers to store things in your garage because somebody is going to come by. Y'all might know what's in at that place only yous'd be surprised how many people come into other people's garages and become, "Hey, there's a sports potable. I think I'yard going to have some of that and then it turns out to be insecticide.

Interviewer: If you use these things correctly and keep them in their normal containers and you simply use a picayune bit of common sense you lot're probably not going to get yourself into trouble with either of these things.

Brad Dahl: That'due south vivid. That's all I can say almost that. Bright.

Announcer: Nosotros're your daily dose of science, chat, medicine. This is The Scope. University of Utah Health Sciences Radio.

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