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No. 18: Emergency Treatment for Insecticide Poisoning

Updated
Sunil Kumar Aute
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Aim:

To study and demonstrate the emergency treatment for insecticide poisoning and prepare an educational poster of emergency treatment for insecticide poisoning.

Practical Significance:

Insecticides, if ingested, inhaled, or absorbed through the skin, can be toxic. This poisoning may occur unintentionally or intentionally. Thus, it’s crucial to educate individuals about first aid steps for handling insecticide poisoning until professional medical assistance is available. During this practical session, students will learn about these first aid procedures and create educational materials to enhance public awareness about treating insecticide poisoning

Theory:

Insecticide is a pesticide that kills insects. When an insecticide is swallowed, breathed in, or absorbed via the skin, it can cause poisoning. The majority of household bug sprays contain pyrethrin, which are plant-derived compounds. These compounds were found in chrysanthemum flowers and are generally non-toxic.

If breathed in, however, they can induce life-threatening breathing issues. Stronger insecticides, such as those used in commercial greenhouses or kept in one’s garage, contain a variety of hazardous chemicals. Some of these include:

  1. Carbamates
  2. Organophosphates
  3. Para-dichloro-benzenes (mothballs)

Symptoms of insecticide poisoning

Eve tearing, impaired vision, salivation, sweating, coughing, vomiting, frequent bowel movements and urination are all symptoms of organophosphates and carbamates. Blood pressure levels can drop. Heart rate can decrease and become irregular and seizures can occur. Breathing can become difficult, and muscles can twitch and weaken. Shortness of breath or muscle weakness can be fatal in rare cases. Following exposure to carbamates, symptoms last for hours to days, whereas after exposure to organophosphates, symptoms can last for weeks. Pyrethrins can cause sneezing, eye tears, coughing, and shortness of breath. Severe symptoms occur only in rare cases.

Steps for emergency treatment of insecticide poisoning

If insecticide is in mouth or swallowed

  1. If a pesticide is in someone’s mouth but they haven’t ingested it, give them plenty of water to rinse it out. Then give the victim a substantial amount of milk or water to drink (up to a quart).
  2. When a pesticide is swallowed, one of the most important first aid considerations is whether or not to induce vomiting. Only induce vomiting if the label of insecticide container directs you to. The decision to induce vomiting must be taken fast and precisely since the victim’s life could be at stake.
Vomiting procedure
  1. Ask the victim to bend with the head lower than the chest. Touch or ask him to touch the back of his throat with a finger or a spoon.
  2. If this does not cause vomiting, give 2 teaspoons of salt in a glass of water (250 ml) or give syrup of ipecacuanha (5 ml in a 20 ml of water). This medicine can be repeated after 15 minutes.
  3. Then, after the victim has finished vomiting, give him/her plenty of clean water or tea to drink. Give him/her activated charcoal powder (1-2 tablespoons in water) or the white of a raw egg or some milk.
  4. If the victim is unconscious, do not give him/her anything to eat or drink.
  5. If the victim is not breathing, give him/her artificial respiration (mouth-to-mouth resuscitation).
  6. Arrange for a Doctor, Community Nurse, or Health Worker or transport the person to a doctor, clinic, or hospital right away.

If skin is exposed to insecticide

  1. Remove any contaminated clothes as soon as possible.
  2. To dilute the insecticide and prevent skin absorption, rinse the exposed area with water. Make use of the purest water available.
  3. With water and soap, wash the affected region, including hair. After that, give it a thorough rinse. To avoid prolonged contact with pesticide residues, showering is preferable to bathing. Scrubbing too hard might harm the skin and increase pesticide absorption. If required, gently dry the affected area, and wrap it in a soft towel or blanket.
  4. If the victim has chemical burns on the skin, cover it with a clean, soft towel. Unless directed by a medical authority, do not use ointments, greases, powders, or other drugs.
  5. Arrange for a Doctor, Community Nurse, or Health Worker or transport the person to a doctor, clinic, or hospital right away.

If insecticide is inhaled

  1. Carry the victim to fresh air as soon as possible (do not allow him or her to walk).
  2. Allow the victim to lie down and loosen his or her garments.
  3. Maintain a warm and peaceful environment for the victim. Do not allow the victim to become chilly or overheated.
  4. If the victim is convulsing, shield his or her head by turning it to the side and keeping an eye on his or her respiration. During a seizure, do not attempt to put anything into the victims’ mouth.
  5. Maintain the victims’ chin up, to keep the airways open for breathing.
  6. If the victim is unconscious, do not give him/her anything to eat or drink.
  7. If the victim is not breathing, give him/her artificial respiration (mouth-to-mouth resuscitation).
  8. Arrange for a Doctor, Community Nurse, or Health Worker or transport the person to a doctor, clinic, or hospital right away.

If eyes are exposed to insecticide

  1. As eyes can easily absorb the chemicals, quick action is essential.
  2. Hold the eyelids open and begin gentle washing of eye with clean water drips. Unless directed otherwise by a medical expert or a poison control center, do not use chemicals or medications in the wash water.
  3. Drip the water across your face rather than directly into your eyes or use an eyewash dispenser.
  4. Rinse the eye continuously for 15 minutes. If only one eye is affected, take care that another eye must not get exposed.
  5. To remove the debris, run water beneath the eyelid.
  6. Cover the eye with a clean cloth and seek medical help as soon as possible.

Preventive measures for accidental insecticide poisoning

  1. Insecticides should be kept in locked cabinets out of reach of children and pets.
  2. Before using any insecticide in or around the house, read the full label and follow all of the instructions.
  3. Keep children and pets away from places where insecticide is being applied. While the product is being applied, make sure the containers are kept safely out of reach.
  4. To avoid inadvertent spillage, close insecticide containers immediately after use.

Procedure:

Activity I

The subject teacher must form groups of students and assign following counselling tasks to the students. After enacting the counselling task, students must note down the key points which must be considered while counselling.

Counsel villagers about emergency treatment measures for insecticide poisoning and guide them for preparation of a first aid kit for insecticide poisoning.

Key points to be considered while counselling:

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Items suggested for the first aid kit:

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Result

Emergency treatment for insecticide poisoning was studied and educational activity is performed.

Updated
Sunil Kumar Aute
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