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Costa Mesa, Newport Beach, Huntington Beach, South Orange County, Long Beach Area

California’s Top Ten Pesticide Blunders

Everyone has heard David Letterman do a “Top 10 List” presentation on his late night television show. These lists are funny and his audience really loves them. Well, another person named Mary-Ann Warmerdam decided to get in on the act and she recently gave us her top ten list. She is the Director of California’s Department of Pesticide Regulation and her presentation was a list of “California’s Top Ten List of Pesticide Blunders”.

Let me say up front that you are free to laugh if you want. But, her list is actually pretty scary because you won’t believe how careless, and may I say how stupid, some people can be. Here we go:

  1. Two mothers, in San Diego County, were chatting while their 2-year old and a baby played in the next room. One of the mothers heard sudden laughter in the room and went to check on the kids. She found the older child holding a can of insecticide and the baby’s face covered with insecticide. The baby was given a bath and taken for medical care.
  2. A resident in Fresno County somehow obtained a can of aluminum phosphide pellets that are intended for professional use only. The pellets were placed in a squirrel hole, located next to his garage and gas meter. Water was added to activate the pellets. A short while later, he noticed a strong odor coming from that area. He evacuated his family and called the fire department. His family had to stay away from the house for six days to make sure all of the fumigant had dissipated. This product could have exploded, started a fire or killed someone. That is why it is for restricted use only and why you must have a special license to apply it.
  3. A man in Kern County was drinking alcohol while spraying plants at his home. It was hot, he got thirsty and took a drink of pesticide from a measuring cup. The man spit it out and then vomited. He couldn’t answer why the “ready to use” product was in a measuring cup.
  4. In Riverside County, a man found ants in the bathroom when he went to take a shower. So, he set off a bug bomb, stayed in the bathroom and took his shower. When he got out of the shower, he inhaled the fumes from the bug bomb and developed symptoms.
  5. A woman, in Riverside County, was walking around her yard late at night and found a soft drink bottle in her shed. She took a drink, noticed that it tasted bad so she assumed that it had gone bad. She threw it out. A couple of days later, she told her daughter that she had experienced symptoms. It turns out that the daughter knew the bottle contained an herbicide that she had got from her friend, the gardener. The bottle had a label on it that said “grass killer”. Unfortunately, the mother couldn’t read the label at night when she picked it up.
  6. In Sacramento County, a relative went to his family and asked to borrow a bottle of bleach. The family offered him the whole bottle. But, the relative didn’t want the whole bottle and insisted on pouring a little bit into a water bottle. Someone called, he answered his phone and left in a hurry. Unfortunately, he forgot to take the water bottle that had bleach in it with him. The family’s 3-year old daughter grabbed the bottle and started drinking from it. Immediately, she started vomiting. The father of the child had to take her to the emergency room.
  7. Another man in Sacramento bought an insecticide because he wanted to kill rats. He was going to mix the product with water but wound up getting the powder all over his face when he opened the packet. He went to wash up, however, he started developing symptoms. So, in order to make himself vomit, he stuck his finger, in his mouth (The finger may have had insecticide on it, as well.). The symptoms got worse and his wife had to take him for medical treatment.
  8. In San Joaquin County, a man found ants in his barbecue, so he heavily doused it with bug spray. Later that night, he decided to grill some burgers. In only minutes after eating the meat, he started feeling sick and wound up vomiting all night long. He went to the doctor the next day.
  9. Another man, in San Joaquin County, stood on a stool so he could spray insecticide on some ants over his doorway, about three or four feet over his head. A few hours later, he got sick (He forgot that when you spray something straight up into the air, some of it will come straight down onto your face and into your eyes, nose and mouth.).
  10. In Shasta County, a man was spraying for ants and needed to take a bathroom break. When he came back to his kitchen, he found his 2-year old son spraying the insecticide into their toaster. The child had to be washed up and taken for medical care after he started vomiting.

Ladies and gentlemen, if you are going to do your own
pest control, you’ve got to be more careful than this!

“Pesticides are designed to control or kill ants, spiders, weeds and other pests,” said Mary-Ann Warmerdam. “I cannot stress enough how important it is to select products that best target the problem. Then follow the label instructions carefully to prevent anyone from getting sick or hurt.”

She went on to encourage consumers to take these extra precautions to prevent pesticide exposure in and around the home:

  • Store pesticides properly to keep them away from children and adults who are unable to recognize pesticide containers.
  • Keep pesticides in their original containers so no one mistakes them for food or drink. Never put pesticides in food or drink containers.
  • Do not mix bleach with ammonia or other cleaners. This can form a toxic gas.

“Termite” Terry says that he frequently sees homeowners making these kinds of mistakes and that he is horrified when he finds children in homes being exposed to these dangers. He says there is no reason why anyone should risk the lives of others, just to save a few bucks. “If you can’t read and follow instructions, do yourself and your family a favor by hiring a professional. Besides, the products that you’re buying from the store usually don’t work that well and are far more dangerous than our modern, professional products,” said Termite Terry.

Do you have a pest control problem at your home or business? Call our office at (949) 631-7348 or click on order form and we’ll schedule an appointment for you at your convenience.