Friday, September 29, 2017

Exposure to Pesticides in the Workplace - St. Louis Work Injury Lawyers

 Industries like farming, gardening, and landscaping use pesticides on a large scale. Workers who look after the plants in public and private buildings also use pesticides extensively. They use insecticides, fungicides, and herbicides which contain potentially dangerous chemicals. These are very harmful and can cause health problems. In this post, our St. Louis work injury lawyer will discuss the risks associated with pesticide exposure at work.

How Pesticide Exposure Can Occur

The toxic chemicals present in pesticides can be absorbed by workers while performing the tasks of mixing, applying or cleaning.
Dermal - Pesticides often come into contact with a workers' skin when they splash on them. Sometimes the workers touch the surfaces, equipment or clothing which have a pesticide residue and the skin absorbs it. This type of exposure is very common.
Inhalation - When the workers perform their duties in the vicinity of powders, vapors or airborne droplets of pesticides they tend to inhale them. This risk increases when ultra-low volume, fogging, or high pressure equipment is used.
Ingestion - This causes the most severe poisoning. Fortunately, it does not occur very frequently. Sometimes a worker may unknowingly consume a pesticide which is stored in an unlabeled bottle or a beverage container. In some instances, they may fail to wash their hands before eating and accidentally ingest the pesticide.

Different Levels of Exposure

A person who is exposed to toxins may display the following symptoms according to the level of exposure.
Mild - A person suffering from mild poisoning experiences irritation of skin, eyes, throat or nose, dizziness, thirst, nausea, diarrhea, fatigue, sweating, nervousness, and insomnia.
Moderate - If the level of affliction is moderate the person often feels like vomiting, has abdominal cramps, rapid pulse, a constriction  in the chest and throat, mental confusion, lack of coordination of muscles, coughing, and blurred vision along with the above mentioned symptoms.
Severe - A person who suffers due to severe poisoning will have rapid breathing, excessive mucous, uncontrollable twitching of the muscles and chemical burns on his skin in addition to the symptoms of mild and moderate levels of poisoning. He may also have difficulty in breathing, lose consciousness or even die.

Diseases Caused Due to Exposure

Workers who are exposed to pesticides for a long period may fall sick or become disabled due to the nature of their work. Some of the common health problems and diseases caused due to pesticide exposure include malignant tumors, gastrointestinal disorders, brain injuries, blood disorders, Cancer, Hodgkin's and Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma, endocrine disruption, Alzheimer's disease, reproductive problems, Parkinson's disease, asthma and allergies.
When the workers fall sick or become disabled due to continuous exposure to pesticides they are not in a position to continue working. They have to stay away from work until they recover. As a result they lose wages. Besides this, they have to undergo medical treatment to cure their ailment. Thankfully, they can claim workers' compensation to make up for all these expenses. If they find any difficulty in getting the rightful benefits, they should immediately contact a St. Louis workers compensation lawyer. Call (314) 361-4300 for a free and private case evaluation.