Aug 9, 2011 – Feeling The Burn
QUESTION:
I used a Pyrocide product the other day and it caused a rash-like irritation on the underside of my arms. It doesn't itch, but about an hour after the treatment it began to burn. I have researched the subject and it seems to be "skin parathesia" to me. Since it was a fog treatment I wore a long sleeve shirt, safety glasses, and a half face respirator. My main question is can you suggest a more "technician friendly" treatment? I was told about a treatment called piperonyl butoxide, but it's listed as an active in pyrocide.
ANSWER:
Normally skin parasthesia has been associated with the synthetic pyrethroids, and in particular some of the earlier active ingredients such as cypermethrin and cyfluthrin, not as much with the later actives such as deltamethrin and bifenthrin. However, sensitive people could react to any of them, experiencing what you have described - a mild rash with a burning sensation. This is otherwise harmless and should go away within a day, but if you are one of those sensitive to it you could expect it anytime your skin is exposed to these materials. When this first began to occur with pest control technicians we were advised by some manufacturer reps that it was pretty much unavoidable, and that no amount of protective clothing would completely eliminate skin contact at some level. We were told by other manufacturer reps that some kinds of skin creams could alleviate the problem, and one of them even handed out sample creams for a period of time. I can't tell you at this point who was correct there.
Natural pyrethrum is the active in Pyrocides, along with one or both of the common synergists - PBO (piperonyl butoxide) or MGK 264. While these are added to enhance the effect of the pyrethrum they are considered "active ingredients" as well, rather than inerts. To be honest, I have never heard of anyone experiencing skin parasthesia from natural pyrethrum, but I suppose it should be expected since both natural pyrethrum and synthetic pyrethroids have a similar effect on the nervous system. They are both GABA-gated Sodium Channel Blockers that bind to a protein in the "voltage gated sodium channel" along the nerve axon. That's a mouthful, but I thought it might be of interest, and the take away message is that pyrethrum acts on the nervous system in the same way pyrethroids do, so your particular system could well be reacting in this manner.
With the influx of new plant-based active ingredients - all those plant oils in use now - we have had to be more concerned with plant allergies, as some people could well be allergic to some of these chemicals just as there are "peanut allergies". Perhaps your immune system is tuned into the pyrethrum molecule more so than the pyrethroids, if you have never experienced this reaction when using all those other products. Since nearly all of the products we can use for space spraying contain natural pyrethrum it is hard to suggest any good alternatives. What you may try would be a product that does NOT have the PBO, just in case it is the synergists that are affecting you, so a product like Pyganic Pro, which is only pyrethrum, might be worth trying. That at least could narrow the search for the cause.
Otherwise I suggest you find ways to limit the times you use space spray treatments, since many of our pest problems are not candidates for fogging (roaches, bed bugs, etc.) or leave the area while the fogger is working for treatments such as attics. Foggers could even be used with a timer that allows you to calculate the length of time the fogger needs to be on to emit the proper amount of material for the space you are treating, and then retrieve the fogger once it is done. This would limit your exposure to the materials. There also is Exponent Synergist which is PBO only, and if it turns out it is only the pyrethrum that affects you then this might be an alternative. Exponent has a MUCH more limited Label for where it can be used, so it will not be a perfect alternative.
View past Ask Mr. Pest Control questions.
I used a Pyrocide product the other day and it caused a rash-like irritation on the underside of my arms. It doesn't itch, but about an hour after the treatment it began to burn. I have researched the subject and it seems to be "skin parathesia" to me. Since it was a fog treatment I wore a long sleeve shirt, safety glasses, and a half face respirator. My main question is can you suggest a more "technician friendly" treatment? I was told about a treatment called piperonyl butoxide, but it's listed as an active in pyrocide.
ANSWER:
Normally skin parasthesia has been associated with the synthetic pyrethroids, and in particular some of the earlier active ingredients such as cypermethrin and cyfluthrin, not as much with the later actives such as deltamethrin and bifenthrin. However, sensitive people could react to any of them, experiencing what you have described - a mild rash with a burning sensation. This is otherwise harmless and should go away within a day, but if you are one of those sensitive to it you could expect it anytime your skin is exposed to these materials. When this first began to occur with pest control technicians we were advised by some manufacturer reps that it was pretty much unavoidable, and that no amount of protective clothing would completely eliminate skin contact at some level. We were told by other manufacturer reps that some kinds of skin creams could alleviate the problem, and one of them even handed out sample creams for a period of time. I can't tell you at this point who was correct there.
Natural pyrethrum is the active in Pyrocides, along with one or both of the common synergists - PBO (piperonyl butoxide) or MGK 264. While these are added to enhance the effect of the pyrethrum they are considered "active ingredients" as well, rather than inerts. To be honest, I have never heard of anyone experiencing skin parasthesia from natural pyrethrum, but I suppose it should be expected since both natural pyrethrum and synthetic pyrethroids have a similar effect on the nervous system. They are both GABA-gated Sodium Channel Blockers that bind to a protein in the "voltage gated sodium channel" along the nerve axon. That's a mouthful, but I thought it might be of interest, and the take away message is that pyrethrum acts on the nervous system in the same way pyrethroids do, so your particular system could well be reacting in this manner.
With the influx of new plant-based active ingredients - all those plant oils in use now - we have had to be more concerned with plant allergies, as some people could well be allergic to some of these chemicals just as there are "peanut allergies". Perhaps your immune system is tuned into the pyrethrum molecule more so than the pyrethroids, if you have never experienced this reaction when using all those other products. Since nearly all of the products we can use for space spraying contain natural pyrethrum it is hard to suggest any good alternatives. What you may try would be a product that does NOT have the PBO, just in case it is the synergists that are affecting you, so a product like Pyganic Pro, which is only pyrethrum, might be worth trying. That at least could narrow the search for the cause.
Otherwise I suggest you find ways to limit the times you use space spray treatments, since many of our pest problems are not candidates for fogging (roaches, bed bugs, etc.) or leave the area while the fogger is working for treatments such as attics. Foggers could even be used with a timer that allows you to calculate the length of time the fogger needs to be on to emit the proper amount of material for the space you are treating, and then retrieve the fogger once it is done. This would limit your exposure to the materials. There also is Exponent Synergist which is PBO only, and if it turns out it is only the pyrethrum that affects you then this might be an alternative. Exponent has a MUCH more limited Label for where it can be used, so it will not be a perfect alternative.
View past Ask Mr. Pest Control questions.
