Be careful when spraying Poison

G

GhOsT1321

Joined
May 5, 2009
Messages
92
Well I know the above title of this topic is obvious, but I was just using some Black Flag ant spray and the spray cap was a bit loose so it kept leaking on my fingers. Now my fingers are quite stiff and ache, I had no idea ant poison could soak though the skin and do this, but I'm sure it will be fine tomorrow. So be wise and if your poison leaks, wear nonporous gloves; don't be a dumb ass like I was.
 
All toxic chemicals come with a caution, warning or danger located on the label. It is wise to read the directions prior to using them. There is a fungicide for roses (Danger label) that is sold in great quantities that can cause blindness with one shot to the eyes. It deadens the optic nerve very fast, and voila, you no longer see in that eye or eyes. It is worth the time to read those labels. You may want to decide to consult your doctor. It may be worth calling. Take it seriously, you may want to look up the MSDS sheet on the product so you have it handy. It is Material Safety Data Sheet. You may bypass the product name and look up the active ingredient compound for the MSDS.
 
Oh man that sounds bad, did you call anyone to see if you should go get it checked out? You don't want those suckers to fall off!
 
THE PUNISHER said:
Bad news,your system might clear it up in the morning..........:(
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I would not take that risk. I would call a poison control center right now and ask if you should seek medical attention. The call and the advice are free.
 
According to the online MSDS, ACUTE DERMAL LD50: > 2.0 gm/kg

"Dermal" means absorbed through the skin. LD50 means the dose which is lethal in about 50% of cases.

If you weigh about 200lbs (and I do not know the man's weight), then that's about 90kg meaning that you would have had to absorb 180g, about 6.3 ounces, of the stuff to have a 50% chance of fatality. That's unlikely. BUT, the fact that the product has a Dermal LD50 which is not really very high does indicate that this stuff is a serious poison through the skin. If 180g can kill you, then the gram or two that you may have obsorbed IS a serious dose which could have serious consequences. The fact that you can feel it means that something is happening.

Call the poison center NOW. The call and the advice are free.
 
Gollnick said:
According to the online MSDS, ACUTE DERMAL LD50: > 2.0 gm/kg

"Dermal" means absorbed through the skin. LD50 means the dose which is lethal in about 50% of cases.

If you weigh about 200lbs (and I do not know the man's weight), then that's about 90kg meaning that you would have had to absorb 180g, about 6.3 ounces, of the stuff to have a 50% chance of fatality. That's unlikely. BUT, the fact that the product has a Dermal LD50 which is not really very high does indicate that this stuff is a serious poison through the skin. If 180g can kill you, then the gram or two that you may have obsorbed IS a serious dose which could have serious consequences. The fact that you can feel it means that something is happening.

Call the poison center NOW. The call and the advice are free.
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Thanks for the advice, I'm about to call poison control to make sure there isn't anything too serious or see if I should do anything about this incident. I will keep you guys updated as best as I can.
 
Good luck with everything :thumbup:

Before I was even born my Father and Grandfather were remodeling an old cabin on our property, which included removing all the old walls. He said the walls were basically painted black from carpenter ants. So, what would you do back then? Spray it with Chloroform. For being the safety nuts they were, they must have left their common sense at the door when they did it without any safety mask or ventilation. They were sick for the next 3-4 days.

ETA: I lied, it wasn't Chloroform, it was Chlordane :p. I'm an idiot
 
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called them they said the ingredients were not very poisonous, but they are highly irritating to the skin. Only advice was to wash my hands even more because it sounded like some was still on my hands. They said they will call back, not sure why maybe to make sure I'm ok. Thank you all for your advice and if anything else interesting happens I will post it here.
 
I wish you the best. Poisonous chems are not something to be used lightly. Best wear gloves and perhaps a filtered ventilator next time you spray or handle. Look at what cops wear when they debrief a meth lab. Most of the chems in your poisons can cause cancer of some sort.
 
Next time you poison yourself, post about it in Gadgets & Gear, not the General Knife Discussion. Moving it ...
 
There's some decent joke lines spinning in my noodle right this second, but this kind of stuff is serious.

I wish people would stop cowboying around when they use dangerous stuff.

You only have one you. Latex gloves, safety goggles and a simple respirator may look goofy, but they cost next to nothing and can save you and your family a lot of heartache and treasure in the long run.
 
Now you know why it kills ants so easily. Beeeeeee careful with all poisons. I was in the extermination business for a year or so and you really have to watch your step when you get stuff on you.
 
reminds me of time i fogged a 26,000 sq. ft.home. he had many trophies from africa @north amer. did'nt wear mask. sick for 2 da. now i wear resp. , gloves, goggles, hat,@long sleeves.
 
I learned that as a kid when someone I knew found moths in an unventilated storage room. He sprayed with some type of pesticide .He never fully recovered but did manage to mostly recover but it took years .To see him in a wheel chair unable to dress himself or feed himself was a tough lesson for me.
Pesticides are now everywhere. Most cardboard boxes are treated.Most stores ,especially supermarkets.Some of the ones used in transporting, storing or selling food use pesticides with a carrier.The carrier makes for a better pesticide but it 'carries' the pesticide through things, not metal or glass but plastics ,papr, cardboard, even your skin.
But when you use them you can control it. Read the labels use protection !! See if you can find a natural substitute.Things like termites can be sprayed with a boron compound which is far safer than other pesticides.
 
Even though it has a high LD50, pay attention to the listed side effects on the msds too. That way if something weird happens, at least you might be able to attribute it to the chemical.

On a better note, I have two favorite things for ants.

Boric acid. Commercially available in the pest section. Works slow, but toxicity to humans and pets is low. The active ingredient I think is the same stuff as 20 mule team borax that my wife uses for our laundry.

The next stuff is a little funner. It kills on contact, but doesn't get taken back to their nest. It clogs their breathing apparatus. The stuff is a 1/20 dilution of Simple Green cleaner in a spray bottle.

70% IPA (isopropyl alcohol a.k.a. rubbing alcohol) in a spray botle works well too, but it is flammable (or is it imflammable?).

I hope things work out for your hand.

Ric
 
bobofish said:
Latex gloves, safety goggles and a simple respirator may look goofy, but they cost next to nothing and can save you and your family a lot of heartache and treasure in the long run.
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Amen! But I'd substitute nitrile (blue) gloves instead of latex - any petroleum distillate (like the delivery vehicle in Black Flag) will make those latex gloves dissapear in a second, also the nitrile has better (not much better) protection against acids and other solvents.

Pesticides are alot safer nowadays than they used to be, but they can still mess you up. Ghost, that the manufacturer said "eh, don't worry about it" when you were exhibiting exposure symptoms concerns me. I think you should take the time to at least stop by your doctor's office. Most Black Flag products contain permethrin, which is pretty toxic and a known carcinogen.
 
wintermute said:
permethrin, which is pretty toxic and a known carcinogen.
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In Iraq I got infested with scabies 4 times IIRC. The cream to kill them off was permethrin, Elimite. You're supposed to put it on from head to toe and leave it on for 12 hours and then shower it off. The PA said it is neurotoxic and shouldn't be used more than 2 times because it has a cumulative effect. Oops.
 
cj65 said:
There is a fungicide for roses (Danger label) that is sold in great quantities that can cause blindness with one shot to the eyes. .
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Thanks for this particular tip -- I have a lot of roses and a sprayer. I think I may start using some clear safety glasses when I am spraying as I do use a fungicide for mold.
 
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