Indoor Air Quality
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Health effects of pesticides
Most houses use at least one kind of pesticide indoors. It is, therefore, no surprise that recent studies found up to a dozen of pesticide chemicals in the indoor air. The source may not always be the obvious can of insect spray: the chemicals may drift inside from outdoor sources, the soil on which the home is built may be contaminated from extensive agricultural or industrial use, or the chemicals find their way into the indoor air after evaporating from inappropriately stored pesticides.
How long you are exposed to a particular pesticide depends on the ingredients used in the manufacture. Some pesticides contain chemicals that break down or evaporate very quickly, but others, such as surface spray insecticides, are meant to give maximum exposure to the target for several months. This may pose a health hazard for toddlers who still explore the world close to the ground and can easily reach into the corners that have been sprayed. Air exchange, temperature, humidity are some of the factors that influence the time it takes for the chemical to disappear from the indoor air. Ultraviolet light is another. Because there is, obviously, less UV light inside your home, pesticides generally break down slower when applied indoors.
When someone is exposed to a large dose, the immediate effects of pesticides are
likely to be irritation of the eyes, nose and throat, headache, dizziness, and nausea;
but in the long-
The term pest loosely describes anything that is unwanted. In this article, however, pests are insects, rodents, weeds, fungi, bacteria and viruses. Any substance that kills, repels or prevents these pests is called a pesticide.
To differentiate, specific pesticides have been given other names: the spray you use to kill flies and mosquitoes, or the bait you use to get rid of cockroaches is an insecticide; the spray or liquid that you apply to the ragweed in your lawn is a herbicide; and the substance you use to wipe onto the mould behind the refrigerator is a fungicide. These are just three examples of the many pesticide substances that can reside in our homes.