Unlucky in Bugs

I looked for face masks at Home Depot, but got lazy lugging my four lb. hand vac around and left without them. I knew this would happen, I really did. But it happened anyway. And now my children are all going to have webbed feet.

I dutifully vacuumed the perimeters, just as instructed by PCO Victor, and opened the little hatch in the vacuum to clean it. The filter was giving me some trouble and I popped it out– POOF! Pesticide flurries… inhaled and all over my bare arms and clothes.

Here’s what the Material Safety Data Sheet had to say about Cy-Kick:

“Cyfluthrin NE NE NE NE SECTION 3. HAZARDS IDENTIFICATION SIGNS/SYMPTOMS OF EXPOSURE Encapsulation greatly reduces the toxicity and irritation potential of the active ingredient. Product may cause mild, reversible eye irritation and moderate skin irritation. ROUTES OF ENTRY Primary:Skin Secondary:Ingestion Tertiary:Inhalation HAZARDOUS DECOMPOSITION PRODUCTS None known UNUSUAL FIRE, EXPLOSION AND REACTIVITY HAZARDS HAZARDS TO HUMANS AND DOMESTIC ANIMALS Keep out of reach of children. CAUTION – harmful if absorbed through skin. Causes moderate eye irritation. Avoid contact with eyes, skin or clothing. Wash hands before eating, drinking, chewing gum, using tobacco, or using the toilet. Do not apply to humans, their clothing, or bedding. Do not allow children or pets to contact treated surfaces until spray has dried. Do not contaminate food or use on household pets. Cover fish tanks prior to application. OTHER PRECAUTIONS Do not apply this product in patient rooms while occupied or in any rooms while occupied by the elderly or infirm. Do not apply to classrooms when in use. Avoid contamination of food, feedstuffs, or water supply. Do not contaminate food preparation surfaces, kitchen utensils, dishes or feed storage containers. Any food/feed contact surfaces and cooking utensils in the treatment area should be covered during treatment or thoroughly cleaned before using. Do not spray where electrical short circuits might result, such as wall outlets, conduits, etc. “

And: “ROUTES OF ENTRY Primary:Skin Secondary:Ingestion Tertiary:Inhalation ACUTE Eyes:Product produces mild, reversible eye irritation in albino rabbits. Skin: Product is a moderate skin irritant for rabbits. Acute dermal LD50> 5,000 mg/kg (rabbits). Primary skin irritation index = 2.29 (rabbits). Ingestion:Acute oral toxicity LD50> 5,000 mg/kg (rats). Encapsulation greatly reduces the toxicity and irritation potential of the active ingredient. Inhalation:When sprayed, produces a particle size larger than considered respirable. CHRONIC / CARCINOGENICITY Neither this product nor any of its ingredients are classified as carcinogens by the National Toxicity Program (NTP), the International Agency for Researchand Health Administration (OSHA). Waste Disposal:Wastes resulting from the use of this product may be disposed of on site or at an approved waste disposal facility. NEVER PLACE WASTE DOWN ANY INDOOR OR OUTDOOR DRAIN OR SEWER. SECTION 14. TRANSPORT INFORMATION This product is not regulated for transportation via any mode of transport. SECTION 15. REGULATORY INFORMATION CERCLA This product contains no CERCLA listed chemicals. SARA TITLE III SECTION 311/312 HAZARD CLASS “