Hazards of Sevin Pesticide

Toxicity

• Carbaryl is labeled as moderate to highly toxic to humans. Direct contact with the eyes or skin can cause burns, while ingestion or inhalation of this pesticide causes negative effects to the nervous and respiratory systems. Symptoms of poisoning by inhalation or ingestion include stomach pain, nausea, diarrhea, dizziness and extreme salivation. Exposure in high doses can cause sweating, blurred vision, impaired coordination and convulsions. According to East Bay Pesticide Alert, symptoms of poisoning have been observed with as little as 1/4-gram of pure carbaryl.

Mutagenic Effects

• Cornell University reports that numerous studies of carbaryl pesticides like Sevin pose only a slight mutagenic risk, but it may react with nitrite to produces N-nitrosocarbaryl. This is a serious hazard because nitrosocarbaryl is highly mutagenic at low levels, which means it can cause or increase the frequency of mutations in organisms. There is a possibility that carbaryl and nitrite, which is a substance found in human saliva and food additives, may react in the stomach to form nitrosocarbaryl.

Carcinogenic Effects

• While Sevin and other carbaryl-based pesticides have not been proven to cause tumors in laboratory tests, N-nitrosocarbaryl, which is formed by the reaction of carbaryl and nitrite, has been shown in laboratory tests to be carcinogenic in rats when exposed to high doses. According to Cornell University, mice exposed to carbaryl in the product tricaprylin developed lung tumors after four weeks of exposure.

Environmental Hazards

• Sevin and other carbaryl-based pesticides are lethal to many non-target insects. Using Sevin could potentially destroy beneficial pollinators, such as honeybees, and natural predators of the target pests it's supposed to control. Carbaryl pesticides are also moderately toxic to aquatic organisms, such as trout and bluegill, and moderately toxic to birds. Accumulation of this pesticide can occur in algae and duckweed, and also in aquatic organisms, such as catfish, crawfish, and snails. In pond water, carbaryl pesticides have a half-life of one to 32 days, but they degrade more slowly in aquatic habitats that contain mud, such as ponds and streams. According to Cornell University, there have been a few causes where carbaryl has been detected in groundwater in California. In the air, carbaryl has a half-life of one to four months, so it should not be applied as a foliar spray to avoid killing beneficial insects such as bees.