In Case of Pesticide Poisoning

Time is critical with any pesticide poisoning! Get immediate help from a local hospital, physician, or the nearest poison control center. If you believe you have been poisoned or injured by pesticides on an agricultural establishment covered under the WPS, your employer must make transportation available from the job site to a medical care facility. Your employer must also provide information about the pesticide to which you may have been exposed.

See EPA's Recognition and Management of Pesticide Poisonings for information on the health hazards of pesticides currently in use, and current consensus recommendations for management of poisonings and injuries caused by them.

For information on how to handle a pesticide poisoning, call the National Pesticide Information Center at 1-800-858-7378 (toll-free to any caller in the United States, Puerto Rico, or the Virgin Islands).

For health care professionals: To search EPA's Pesticide Poisoning Handbook by keyword, topic, or chapter, click here.

Some symptoms of pesticide poisoning can be mistaken for symptoms of other illnesses, such as the flu. When pesticide handlers become ill from working with organophosphate or carbamate insecticides in warm and hot environments, it is sometimes hard to tell whether the person is suffering from heat exhaustion or pesticide poisoning. The table below compares the symptoms.

Symptoms of Heat Exhaustion	Symptoms of Organophosphate/ Carbamate Poisoning
Sweating	Sweating
Headache	Headache
Fatigue	Fatigue
Dry membranes	Moist membranes
Dry mouth	Salivation
No tears	Tears
No spit present	Spit present in mouth
Fast pulse (slow if person has fainted)	Slow pulse
Nausea	Nausea and diarrhea
Dilated pupils	Possible small pupils
Central nervous system depression	Central nervous system depression
Loss of coordination	Loss of coordination
Confusion	Confusion
Fainting (prompt recovery)	Coma (can't waken)

Publications | Glossary | A-Z Index | Jobs

In Case of Pesticide Poisoning

Local Navigation