Bug Bomb

Bug bombs, also called insect foggers, are cans of pesticide that spray out all at once. They are used to control fleas, cockroaches, and other bugs. Most bug bombs contain pyrethrin or pyrethroid-type insecticides plus chemicals propellents that make the fine mist that fills the room.

Many people do not know that foggers can be a serious health and safety hazard, especially if you use too many or don’t follow directions.

Foggers Can Make You Sick

Foggers Can Explode

Consider Effective Pest Control Alternatives

Common Problems to Avoid

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.

Illness Reporting to Washington Poison Center & Department of Health

• 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.

Case Examples

• 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.

Foggers Can Explode!

Besides increasing the risk of making you sick from the product, using too many foggers for the size home can cause fires or explosions.

• The labels of most foggers require that you:

• turn off pilot lights
• gas fireplaces and
• unplug any source of sparks while fogging an area

• Flammable gases from bug bomb cans can ignite and damage your home or cause injury.

Case Examples

• A woman was setting off bug bombs in her home when the fog coming from one can suddenly ignited. The can then exploded. She was still in the room at the time and suffered respiratory symptoms. She had positioned the can near her gas hot water heater but had forgotten to turn off the gas first. The fire department responded and treated her with oxygen on site. No significant property damage.
• In California, house explosions involving loss of windows, doors, and parts of the roof have been reported after excessive use of bug bombs. Some of these explosions have been ignited by sparks from electrical appliances that cycle on and off such as refrigerators and air conditioners.
• In Portland, Oregon, bug bombs exploded in a hot car, breaking windows and causing other damage. Luckily, no one was in the car. Canisters can burst at high temperatures.

Consider Effective Pest Control Alternatives

Fleas

Prevention is the best way to manage fleas so you don't need to use flea sprays or foggers. To prevent fleas from becoming a problem in your home:

• Put towels or rugs that you can wash in places where pets sleep. Wash bedding in hot water every week.
• Comb pets with a fleas comb to remove any fleas.
• Vacuum carpets and furniture often where pets usually lie or sit.
• Ask your vet about a spot-on treatment or an oral treatment to keep fleas from infesting your pet.

Cockroaches

There are safer and more effective ways to control cockroaches in your home than using a fogger.

• Eliminate their food, water and hiding places.
• Repair plumbing leaks.
• Store food in sealed containers and keep pet dishes covered.
• Keep stove tops, counters and floors clean of grease and food.
• Caulk cracks where roaches hide.
• Use sticky traps to find the areas where roaches are most active. Then place boric acid or low toxicity baits in those areas.
• Professionals can use methods such as vacuuming roaches out of cracks and placing gel baits to control them without using insecticide sprays

For more information on pest control:

• Fleas and Flea Control, University of California
• Spiders In and Around the House, Ohio State University Extension
• Cockroaches: Identification, Biology, and Control (PDF), Pacific Northwest Cooperative Extension Publication, Washington/Oregon/Idaho
• UPEST, Washington State Department of Ecology

Overuse

If you decide to use a fogger, follow the instructions on the label exactly.

Labels can be confusing!

• Most say do not to use more than one fogger per room; however many foggers treat much more area than the average bedroom.
• You could easily be applying ten times more than needed if you put a fogger in an average bedroom.

Be smart and safe! Estimate size of the area you want to treat, and then buy only what you need. How much fogger do I need?

• Many popular foggers are sold in 3-packs with each can treating 5000 or 7000 cubic feet. If you have a small area to treat or an apartment, look on the store shelf for cans that treat smaller sized rooms.
• Most bedrooms are less than 1000 cubic feet.
• Read the front label to see how much area one can treats. (example: "One 2.1.oz. can treats up to 7000 cubic feet")
• There are many types of foggers and they all treat different sized areas so read the label before buying.

Case Example

• A 19 year old set off four foggers in her two bedroom apartment, when one can would have been enough. She returned four to six hours later to air out the apartment. She became ill with dizziness, nausea and vomiting. The next morning, her face was numb after sleeping on a pillow that was left out during the fogging. Prolonged skin contact with ingredients in some foggers can cause burning and numbness on skin.

Early re-entry or lack of ventilation

• Once the fogger is activated, you must close all doors and windows and leave the treated area completely.
• Most labels require you to be out for four hours. After the four hour time period open doors and windows and air out the treated area before returning.
• If you have asthma or other breathing condition, you should strongly consider alternatives to sprays and foggers. At the very least, let someone else activate the fogger and vent the rooms after four hours. If there is a strong smell when you re-enter, allow the space to air out longer before returning.
• Leave a note on the door that the home is being fogged. This will alert roommates and others not to enter. It will also alert the fire department in case the fog triggers the fire alarm.

Case Example

• 12 to15 bug bombs were activated in a single home (excessive use ) and the occupants left as directed. The fog triggered the house fire alarm and fire department responded. When no one answered the door, they entered through an unlatched window to check for fire. As soon as they discovered the cans of fogger they exited. One fire fighter was over-exposed to fogger fumes in the process.

Unsafe Storage - Keep Out of Reach of Children

• There are no child proof features on fogger cans. If a toddler can reach the fogger they can easily activate it.
• Once a fogger is activated, the canister fogs until it is empty.
• There is no way to turn the fogger off.
• Store foggers in a high location - locked.

Case Examples

• Can of fogger was left out in a family apartment. Four year old activated it exposing herself, her mother, and her six year old sister with Asthma. They developed coughing and shortness of breath. They were transported by 911 to the Emergency Room where they recovered.
• A family was in the processing of moving. Their four year old daughter found a can of fogger in the bathroom and sprayed it on her arms and face thinking it was perfume. She was discovered and taken outside for fresh air. She had a skin, eye, and nose irritation, coughing and vomited once outside. She was taken to the Emergency Room. The following day the skin on her arms and around her mouth was chapped and cracked.