What Are Pesticides?
Pesticides are chemicals used to kill weeds, insects and other pests that damage plants.
Be Cautious of Pesticides
Exposure to pesticides can have immediate or long-term effects on your health. Immediate or short-term symptoms can include flu-like symptoms, skin rashes and blisters, eye irritation, blurred vision, blindness, nausea, diarrhea, difficulty breathing, numbness, dizziness, headaches, tingling in your limbs, coma, or death. Delayed effects may be cancer, birth defects, endocrine disruption, harm to your kidneys, liver, or nervous system.
Protect Yourself and Your Family
Remember, pesticides can affect your water supply, your food, and your family!
- Stay away from areas where pesticides are being applied or were recently applied and plants or equipment that have touched pesticides.
- Use proper personal protective equipment (PPE) and follow the instructions of any pesticides that were used to treat plants with which you are working.
- Scrub hands to completely to remove pesticides, especially before smoking, eating, or using the bathroom.
- Shower and change into clean clothes after work.
- Wash work clothes and shoes regularly and separately from other clothes.
What to Do if Exposed to Pesticides
There are many actions an individual can take after being exposed to pesticides:
- Change your clothes and shoes as soon as possible. Shower or rinse with soap and water.
- Save any clothes exposed to pesticides in an airtight container and keep them out of the light. These may be used to help identify what pesticides you were exposed to.
- Take pictures or write down information about the pesticides used by your employer such as chemical labels.
- Seek medical treatment as soon as possible. Tell the doctor you were exposed to pesticides and share any information or affected clothing you have.
Call Poison Control at 800-222-1222 for more guidance.
If a person is unconscious, having trouble breathing, vomiting or convulsing, call 911 immediately.
Your Employer Should Protect You From Pesticides
Under the Workers Protection Standard (WPS), employers are required to:
- Provide annual pesticide training in your language before you work in a pesticide-treated area.
- Tell you which fields or work areas have been treated with pesticides.
- Not allow anyone into an area treated with pesticides before it is safe to return.
- Post a list of pesticides they have used, and safety data sheets with important information about the pesticides.
- Post pesticide warning signs at pesticide-treated areas when it is unsafe to enter. They may not be posted at untreated places, for example housing sites. Report improper use of warning signs.
- Provide water, soap, and towels at your worksite.
- Take you to the nearest medical facility if you have been poisoned and provide information on the pesticide used.
- The employer should help provide for medical assistance for injuries sustained at work
Workers have the right to report any unsafe working or housing conditions!
Workers' Rights
Your employer may not punish or discriminate against you for making a complaint about pesticide safety.
You are protected by the WPS, and you can refuse to work in dangerous situations that violate the WPS.
You can file a complaint with the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD). Call 1-800-292-3939 for more information.