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  • Pesticide exposure

    I was in a place of business where pesticide was being applied. It was applied by a professional pest control company (Terminex), and it was not a well ventilated area. I didn't know this was happening until it had been going on for quite a while, and they were very close to me. I am breastfeeding, and I am concerned about exposing my baby to pesticides. How concerned should I be, and what can I do at this point?

  • #2
    Hi, thanks for your post.

    It's hard to answer this question without knowing what chemicals they were using, but there are a few general principles that we use when addressing this kind of problem:

    1. If this is taking place in the United States, then it is very likely that the pest control worker was using a substance cleared by the EPA for use around people.
    2. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration enforces rules that help protect people from improper use of dangerous chemicals. It is unlikely that you were being exposed to a dangerous concentration of this pesticide.
    3. Breastfeeding babies get only a small fraction of anything that the mom has been exposed to. The toxicity of most drugs and chemicals is dose dependent, meaning that it is less poisonous if you intake less of it. If you are not showing any signs of poisoning by this pesticide, then it is unlikely that the smaller dose to the baby is going to cause problems.
    4. A reasonable precaution is making sure that the baby is not directly exposed to chemical residues that may be stuck to your skin or clothing.
    5. You should watch the baby over the next day or so for significant changes in behavior or bowel habits. Side effects are very unlikely, but you wouldn't want to miss them either.

    Please let us know if this situation changes.

    For anyone reading this, please post again or call us at the InfantRisk Center, (806)352-2519, if this has not completely answered your question. I would also appreciate you filling out a 2 minute survey about your time on the forum:

    https://tthsclubbock.co1.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_bJzhyKVSivVkQZL&Counselor=Web

    -James Abbey, MD

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    • #3
      Thank you very much for your response! I followed this advice over the weekend and have now learned what pesticide was used. It is Patrol CS, and the active ingredient is Lamda-cyhalothrin. I have been told that the area should not have been occupied while it was being sprayed. I am wondering if I should still be breastfeeding after this exposure and how long these chemicals will stay in my system.

      I will call the InfantRisk Center if that is preferable to posting in this situation. Thank you again for your time and attention.

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      • #4
        Do you have information about breastfeeding after being exposed to Patrol CS with the active ingredient Lamda-cyhalothrin? Thanks!

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        • #5
          No pharmacokinetic studies of this pesticide in humans have been published. However, one study in rats and one in cows suggest that a single exposure results in steadily declining milk levels after 24 hours. In rats, the half-life in plasma (and presumably milk) was about 12 hours. If this were true of humans, it would mean that the milk was essentially uncontaminated at 2.5 days after exposure. Breastfeeding during that first 2.5 days is still unlikely to have harmed the infant, because you did not receive enough exposure to cause problems in your own body. Lamda-cyhalothrin can linger in body tissues for a week or so, but we expect milk levels to be minimal after 2.5 days.

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