Department of Health - Hazards of Bug Bombs

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man coughing

Difficulty breathing, cough, dizziness,

and vomiting are possible health effects!

Breathing the fog can irritate the nose, throat, eyes, or skin.
People with respiratory conditions such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and reactive airways disease may develop serious breathing difficulty and require emergency services after breathing the fog.

In the last three years (2005-2007) the health department's Pesticide Illness Prevention Program has documented 47 cases of illness or injury associated with bug bombs.
The pesticide program primarily documents cases seen by a health care provider so the actual number of illness and injuries is probably much higher.
We know for instance that there were an additional 209 reports made to the Washington Poison Center during this same period involving people with symptoms following bug bomb exposure who did not seek medical care.

A 67 year old woman with asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease set off a fogger that treats up to 5000 cubic feet in her small apartment bedroom (about five times more than needed). She shut the door and waited in the next room with the window closed. She did not want to leave her pets alone in the apartment and had no place to take them. The fog flowed under the crack of the bedroom door and she developed severe breathing difficulty. She called 911 and was taken to the emergency room.

A 33 year old woman set off three foggers in her apartment where one would have been enough. The label directs users to stay out of the treated area for four hours, then open windows and ventilate with fresh air before using the area. She re-entered the home after only two hours, opened windows and fell asleep for two hours. She awoke with headache, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, and difficulty breathing. She was monitored at the hospital and missed one day of work.