You may have seen these “illegal insecticide chalk” products for sale in a neighborhood store or being sold on the street for about $1 a box. Their labels are sometimes written in both English and Chinese and they go by the brand names of “Miraculous Chalk” or “Chinese Chalk”. These products are mostly imported from China.
Some of these product labels say their insecticide chalk is “harmless to human beings and animals” and “safe to use”. According to the EPA, these claims are untrue and dangerous. These insecticide chalk sticks look just like regular blackboard chalk and the EPA is especially concerned that children will pick these up to write with and then put them in their mouths.
The EPA says that overexposure to some chemicals found in samples of insecticide chalk can provoke serious health effects, including vomiting, stomach pains, convulsions, tremors, and loss of consciousness. Serious allergic reactions are also possible. They also report that several children have had to be hospitalized after eating insecticide chalk.
These insecticide chalk products should be avoided at all times. If you have some of these products, the EPA recommends you return them to the retailer where you made the purchase or to contact a local hazardous waste facility to arrange for disposal.
Ladies and gentlemen, please don’t take chances and use “gimmicky” pest control products like these. If you want to do your own pest control treatments, that’s alright. But, always use an EPA registered product and follow all of the label directions. Wouldn’t you rather spend a few bucks more for a good pest control product than to pay for a night’s stay in a hospital?
