Children and Pesticide Poisoning 253
Children and Pesticide Poisoning
Pesticides are more dangerous to children than they are to adults. Because
children are smaller and are still growing, they get sick from amounts of
pesticides that may not hurt adults. Amounts of pesticides that will make
adults sick may kill babies and children.
Signs of pesticide poisoning in children
Even small doses of pesticides can affect a child’s ability to learn and grow,
and may cause allergies and breathing problems that last his whole life.
Common signs of pesticide poisoning in children are:
• tiredness
• coughing fits
• diarrhea
• pain in the stomach
• skin rashes
• seizures (“fits”)
and shaking
• unconsciousness
Signs that may show up months or years after a child is exposed to chemicals include:
• allergies
• cancer
• breathing problems
• difficulty learning
• other health problems
may be made worse
• slow growth
Pesticides can also cause birth defects (see page 324). For more on how toxic
chemicals affect children, see page 322.
A Community Guide to Environmental Health 2012