How Pesticide Exposure Poses Health Risks to Infants

Pamphlet on Pesticide Exposure and the Health and Safety of Infants

Pesticide is a term that is used to refer to products that are developed to destroy, prevent, ward off, and mitigate any pest. The main aim of the use of these products in the home environment is to destroy bacteria, weed, and fungi as well as kill insects through destroying their neurological and reproductive systems. While these products are used to help promote the health and safety of every individual in the home setting, exposure to them can sometimes generate significant health risks. Pesticide exposure can act as a source of injury or a factor that exacerbates illness, especially in vulnerable populations such as infants. This pamphlet provides information on how pesticide exposure affects the health and safety of infants and offers recommendations on accident prevention and safety promotion in relation to pesticide exposure.

The Threat of Pesticide Exposure on Infants' Health and Safety

Pesticides are common household products that are used to spray for fleas, ants, flies, and other pests in the home environment. These products become part of dust in the house and tend to settle in various items in the house such as carpets, children's toys and stuffed animals, and beddings. As a result, individuals at home are usually exposed to these products because of their ability to settle in various household items. Pesticide exposure occurs through oral ingestion, inhalation, and dermal absorption of chemicals in the products (Davis, 2007). Exposure to pesticide chemicals poses significant health risks on infants by affecting the neurological system. Infants are at a high risk of being affected by pesticide exposure not only because of the widespread use of these chemicals but also for various reasons. Some of the reasons for infants' increased health risks from pesticide exposure include the state of their internal organs and their tendency to eat different foods than adults. Infants' internal organs are still growing and maturing, which implies that their immune, metabolic, and enzymatic systems may offer less ordinary protection as compared to those of adults ("Children Are at Greater Risks," 2002). The tendency of children to eat different foods than adults increases their health risk in addition to their behaviors of playing on surfaces where pesticides are commonly applied.

While the effect of pesticide exposure on the health and safety of an infant depends on the toxicity of the pesticide ingredients, these products tend to affect a child's neurological system and biological system. Some of the most common effects of pesticide exposure on infants' health and safety include headache, nausea, excessive salivation and perspiration, dizziness, muscle weakness, convulsions, and papillary constriction. In some cases, pesticide exposure results in abnormal skin sensations such as skin irritation, rash, and burning.

In relation to pesticide exposure on infants, accident prevention and safety promotion involves a series of recommendations including using non-chemical measures for controlling pests when possible, complying with label instructions in the products, and using the least toxic pesticides ("Pesticides and Children," 2013). The other recommendations include keeping the products out of children's reach, avoiding using them around children, and promptly getting rid of trash and cleaning areas that may attract pests. Nursing interventions can also be used to lessen pesticide exposure to infants in order to lessen their impact on their health and safety. Some of these interventions include patient education on pest management strategies and seeking medical interventions in case of exposure.

Readers can obtain more information about pesticide exposure and its effects on infants' health and safety through community resources, a national resource, and an online resource. Parents for Pesticide Alternatives (PPA) is an example of a community resource that focuses on mitigating the health effects of pesticides' use. It is a non-profit organization in Georgia whose main goal is to enhance the availability of organic foods and can be reached by contacting 30078-2773. The second community resource is Integrated Pest Management program that focuses on controlling pests through examining widespread pest problems in order to develop necessary infestation mitigation. The initiative can be contacted through reaching schools that have embraced IPM programs. An example of a national resource is the National Pesticide Information Center than can be contacted through 1- [HIDDEN] . It focuses on offering objective, scientific information regarding pesticides and helps ensure informed decisions are made regarding these products and their use. The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing is the most suitable online resource that helps people understand, prevent, and lessen the impact of pesticides exposure through various publications. The publications produced by American Nurses Association can be found through their website or contacting 1- [HIDDEN] .

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