Pesticides and Their Impact on Children:

Key Facts and Talking Points

While pesticides have benefits for society and can 

be powerful tools for controlling pests, they are also 

inherently toxic and can severely harm children's 

health if stored or used improperly.

The following data-driven talking points can be useful 

when talking with Head Start staff, families and others about 

the risks associated with pesticides and the importance of 

pesticide poisoning prevention.

Why are we talking 

about pesticides? 

• 50 percent of the 2 million poisoning incidents each year 

involve children younger than six years old, and 90 percent 

of these incidents occur in the home.

• The American Association of Poison Control Centers data 

reports more than 70,000 calls made to poison centers 

with concerns about potential exposure to common 

household pesticides.

• Among households with children under the age of five, 

close to half stored at least one pesticide product within 

reach of a child.

• Nearly 75 percent of households with no children under the 

age of five stored pesticides in an unlocked cabinet within 

a child's reach — a significant figure since 13 percent of all 

pesticide poisonings occur in homes other than that of a child. 

Why are children 

especially vulnerable?

Due to key differences in physiology and behavior, children are 

more susceptible to environmental hazards than adults. 

Differences in Physiology

• Children’s nervous, immune, digestive and other systems 

are still developing. Developing systems are less able to 

detoxify and excrete these pollutants compared to adults.

• Children's systems provide less natural protection than 

adults. 

• Children breathe in more air than adults, inhaling 

almost 2 times as many pollutants. 

Differences in Behavior

• Children spend more time outdoors on grass, playing fields, 

and play equipment where pesticides may be present.

• Children crawl on the floor and therefore have full body 

contact with carpets.

• Children’s hand-to-mouth contact is more frequent, 

exposing them to toxins through ingestion.

Did you know?

Decaying cockroaches and mouse dander are among the top triggers in asthmatic children. People 

with roaches in their homes are 1.5 times more likely to have asthma. People with rodents in their 

homes are 2 times more likely to have asthma.
EPA 735-F-07-003

How can pesticide poisoning 

affect a child’s health?

Pesticide poisoning is especially harmful to children since 

their brain and nervous systems are at early critical stages of 

development. Because their bodies are still growing, children 

have fewer natural defenses and can develop serious health 

effects if overexposed to pesticides. There are two categories 

of health effects of pesticide exposure. Acute exposure

refers to an intense exposure over a short period of time; for 

instance, a child sitting in the room during a spraying. Lowdose and long-term exposure is exposure that occurs over 

a period of time. 

Acute exposure to pesticides may 

cause short-term effects such as:

• Headaches; 

• Dizziness; 

• Muscle twitching; 

• Weakness; 

• Tingling Sensations; and

• Nausea.

Long-term exposure to pesticides may 

cause serious health effects such as:

• Birth defects; 

• Learning disabilities; 

• Behavioral changes; 

• Organ damage; 

• Forms of cancer, including leukemia, 

breast cancer, and brain tumors; or 

• Asthma symptoms. 

What can we do?

One of the most effective ways you can help prevent pesticide 

poisonings is by adopting Integrated Pest Management (IPM) 

practices to reduce children’s exposure to pesticides. IPM is a 

safer method of pest management that makes use of a variety 

of control techniques and focuses on eliminating the causes 

of pest infestations instead of merely treating the symptoms. 

Since children spend so much of their day at home and in 

school, IPM provides an opportunity to create a safer learning 

environment—to reduce children’s exposure to pesticides as 

well as eliminate pests. IPM involves the following six steps. 

• Keep Pests Out — If pests can’t get inside, then you won’t 

need to use any pesticides to kill them. 

• Starve and Dry Pests Out — Every creature needs food 

and water to survive. Eliminate your pests’ access to these 

things and they won’t hang around for long. 

• Eliminate Safe Havens for Pests — Roaches can live in any 

nook and cranny. Anywhere you see a small crack leading 

to a spot that people can’t access, make sure to seal it up. 

• Monitor for Pests — Monitoring is key to successful IPM. 

It lets us know when there is a problem so we can 

address it early.

• Create an IPM Plan and Keep Proper Records — 

An IPM plan is a document that indicates how you plan to 

monitor for pests and what you will do if pests suddenly 

arrive. Having this tool will help you avoid the urge to use 

dangerous pesticides. 

• Treat Existing Pest Problems —To get rid of existing 

pests, use traps, vacuums, gels and baits. If pesticides 

are necessary, use spot treatments rather than area-wide 

applications.

For more information on pesticides or pesticide poisoning prevention, refer to EPA’s Pesticides Program 

Web site at www.epa.gov/pesticides, or call the National Pesticide Information Center at 1-800-858-7378.