Online-only: New study finds insecticide misuse against bedbugs a risk to health
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* Kim Krisberg

When it comes to bedbugs, the solution can sometimes be worse than the problem.

According to a new study, improper insecticide use against bedbugs can make people sick. The study, which was published in the Sept. 23 issue of Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, identified 111 cases of illness associated with bedbug-related insecticide use from 2003–2010 in seven states. The majority of cases were described as low severity and occurred among people ages 25 and older in private residences. The cases also included one death, which involved a 65-year-old woman who applied insecticide to her skin and hair and whose home was treated with large amounts of insecticide.

“Although the number of acute illnesses from insecticides used to control bedbugs does not suggest a large public health burden, increases in bedbug populations that are resistant to commonly available insecticides might result in increased misuse of pesticides,” the study stated.

Common contributors to such illness included excessive insecticide use and not washing or changing pesticide-treated bedding, the study reported. The study found that 40 percent of the illnesses occurred in multiunit housing and 12 percent were work-related. Also, 39 percent of pesticide applications were done by a person who lived in the infested residence and who was not certified in pesticide use. The most frequently reported symptoms of illness were headache, dizziness, respiratory problems, nausea and vomiting. The study noted that bedbug populations resistant to pyrethroid, a chemical in insecticides, have been found in five states.

“Inappropriate use of insecticides to control bedbugs can cause harm,” the study said. “Media campaigns to educate the public on nonchemical methods to control bedbugs, methods to prevent bedbug infestation and the prudent use of effective insecticides can reduce insecticide-related illness.”

The common bedbug is a small, wingless insect that feeds off the blood of humans, other mammals and birds. While bedbugs are not considered vectors for disease, their bites can cause allergic reactions and they can significantly impact a person’s quality of life, causing anxiety, discomfort and sleeplessness.

According to the MMWR study, contributors to increasing bedbug infestations in the United States and globally include growing insecticide resistance among bedbugs, more domestic and international travel, and greater prevalence of bedbug-friendly furniture, such as wooden bed frames. A study on insecticide resistance published in January in the Public Library of Science One journal noted that a “resurgence of (bedbugs) has been recorded across the globe, including North America, Europe, Australia and Eastern Asia, with an estimated 100 percent to500 percent annual increase in bedbug populations.” In a 2010 survey conducted by the National Pest Management Association and the University of Kentucky, 95 percent of survey respondents said their pest control company had encountered a bedbug infestation in the past year compared to 25 percent of survey respondents before 2000.

To combat bedbugs, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recommend an integrated pest management approach, which aims to control pests while producing as few hazards to people, property and the environment as possible. Such an approach includes using pest monitoring devices, removing clutter where bedbugs can hide, vacuuming, applying heat treatments and judiciously using chemical pesticides, as well as using nonchemical products such as diatomaceous earth. The agencies also emphasize that “bedbug control is most effective when an (integrated pest management) approach is implemented with diligent participation by the residents.”

For a copy of the MMWR study, visit [www.cdc.gov/mmwr](http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr). For more information on bedbugs, visit [www.cdc.gov/parasites/bedbugs](http://www.cdc.gov/parasites/bedbugs).

*   Copyright The Nation’s Health, American Public Health Association