How are people exposed to pesticides in and around the home?

Answer 1

Pesticides can be absorbed through the skin, swallowed or inhaled. Exposures may come from contact with treated grass or from mists or sprays during application. Or, exposures may come indirectly from food, drink or household items contaminated by the application. Pets may also suffer from pesticide exposure, and may contribute to human exposure by, for instance, tracking lawn and garden pesticides into the house. EPA is concerned about the general lack of information on the exposure of individuals to lawn care pesticides after application. To address this and related questions, it convened a panel of experts to develop guidelines to assess post-application exposure in residences. The actual assessment has not been completed.
EPA is concerned about the general lack of information on the non-occupational exposure of individuals to pesticides. To address this and related questions, it has sponsored studies to obtain more information about the extent of post-application exposure in homes. Hopefully these studies will allow EPA to perform more informed assessments of pesticides in the future.

Answer 2

Are you asking about the mechanism or the effects?

The mechanism is by direct contact, touching an area that a pesticide was applied to.... In a garden, the food you grow can have residue, you can walk and pick it up on your shoes, you can have drift from a dust or spray that you inhale or it may end up on your clothes or skin. You can directly spray or power yourself if you aren't wearing gloves. You can inhale what you are spraying/spreading.... Often bug bombs are a type of pesticide (pyrethroids) that clings to dust and I read an article from Germany (who has banned this class of pesticides) that pyrethroids were in the dust as long as a year or more later, being inhaled one presumes... Deltamethrin was the specific pyrethroid. Anywho, those are the some of the mechanisms.

Answer 3

There's these little things called Dust Mites. They live in your beds, your carpets, the air, your curtains, your clothes, and in any dusty area in your home.

They cause head aches, stuffy nose, dizzyness, and sometimes pain in your throat.

-Amos