Insecticide is any chemical that kills bugs. Insecticide poisoning occurs when someone swallows or breathes in an insecticide or it is absorbed through the skin.
This article is for information only. DO NOT use it to treat or manage an actual poison exposure. If you or someone you are with has an exposure, call the local emergency number (such as 911), or the local poison control center can be reached directly by calling the national toll-free Poison Help hotline (1-800-222-1222) from anywhere in the United States.
Most household
contain plant-derived chemicals called pyrethrins. These chemicals were originally isolated from chrysanthemum flowers and are generally not harmful. However, they can cause life-threatening breathing problems if they are breathed in.
Stronger insecticides, which a farm or commercial greenhouse might use or someone might store in their garage, contain many dangerous substances. These include:
Carbamates
Organophosphates
(mothballs)
Various insecticides contain these chemicals.
Below are symptoms of insecticide poisoning in different parts of the body.
Symptoms of pyrethrin poisoning:
LUNGS AND AIRWAYS
Breathing difficulty
NERVOUS SYSTEM
(decreased level of consciousness and lack of responsiveness)
SKIN
Irritation
Redness or swelling
Symptoms of organophosphate or carbamate poisoning:
HEART AND BLOOD
Slow heart rate
LUNGS AND AIRWAYS
NERVOUS SYSTEM
Anxiety
Coma (decreased level of consciousness and lack of responsiveness)
Seizures
BLADDER AND KIDNEYS
Increased urination
EYES, EARS, NOSE, AND THROAT
Small pupils
STOMACH AND INTESTINES
Abdominal cramps
Loss of appetite
SKIN
Blue-colored lips and fingernails
Note: Serious poisoning can occur if an organophosphate gets on your bare skin or if you don't wash your skin soon after it gets on you. Large amounts of the chemical soak through the skin unless you are protected. Life-threatening paralysis and death can occur very quickly.
Symptoms of paradichlorobenzene poisoning:
EYES, EARS, THROAT, AND MOUTH
Burning in mouth
LUNGS AND AIRWAYS
Breathing problems (rapid, slow, or painful)
Cough
Shallow breathing
MUSCLES
NERVOUS SYSTEM
Changes in alertness
Headache
Slurred speech
Weakness
SKIN
(jaundice)
STOMACH AND INTESTINES
Diarrhea
Abdominal pain
Nausea and vomiting
Note: Paradichlorobenzene mothballs are not very toxic. They have replaced the more toxic camphor and naphthalene types.
Get medical help right away. Do not make the person throw up unless poison control or a health care provider tells you to.
If the chemical is on the skin or in the eyes, flush with lots of water for at least 15 minutes.
If the person breathed in the poison, move them to fresh air right away.
Have this information ready:
Person's age, weight, and condition
Name of the product (ingredients and strength, if known)
Time it was swallowed
Amount swallowed
The local
can be reached directly by calling the national toll-free Poison Help hotline (1-800-222-1222) from anywhere in the United States. This national hotline will let you talk to experts in poisoning. They will give you further instructions.
This is a free and confidential service. All local poison control centers in the United States use this national number. You should call if you have any questions about poisoning or poison prevention. It does NOT need to be an emergency. You can call for any reason, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
You can also get online poison help now at
. Just enter the product, poison, or medicine to get expert help.
Take the container with you to the hospital, if possible.
The provider will measure and monitor the person's
, including temperature, pulse, breathing rate, and blood pressure.
Tests that may be done include:
Blood and
-- camera placed down the throat to see burns in the airways and lungs
(ECG)
-- camera placed down the throat to check for burns in the esophagus and stomach
Treatment may include:
Breathing support, including tube through the mouth into the lungs and connected to a breathing machine (
)
Fluids through a vein (by IV)
Medicine to treat the effects of the poison (such as atropine), to support the blood pressure or heart rate, and other symptoms
Surgery to remove burned skin (debridement)
Tube through the mouth into the stomach to wash out the stomach (
)
Washing of the skin (irrigation), every few hours or for several days
How well someone does depends on how severe the poisoning is and how quickly treatment is received. The faster medical help is given, the better the chance for recovery. Swallowing these poisons can have severe effects on many parts of the body.
It is a good sign that recovery will occur if the person continues to improve in the first 4 to 6 hours after they receive treatment.
Although the symptoms are the same for carbamate and organophosphate poisoning, it is harder to recover after organophosphate poisoning.
Organophosphate poisoning; Carbamate poisoning
Meehan TJ. Care of the poisoned patient. In: Walls RM, ed. Rosen's Emergency Medicine: Concepts and Clinical Practice. 10th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2023:chap 135.
Nelson LS, Calello DP. Acute poisoning. In: Goldman L, Cooney KA, eds. Goldman-Cecil Medicine. 27th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2024:chap 96.
Theobald JL, Corcoran JN. Poisoning. In: Kliegman RM, St. Geme JW, Blum NJ, et al, eds. Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics. 22nd ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2025:chap 94.
Welker KL, Thompson TM. Pesticides. In: Walls RM, ed. Rosen's Emergency Medicine: Concepts and Clinical Practice. 10th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2023:chap 152.
Updated by: Jesse Borke, MD, CPE, FAAEM, FACEP, Attending Physician at Kaiser Permanente, Orange County, CA. Also reviewed by David C. Dugdale, MD, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.