Evaluation of Pesticide Incident Report 2012-2270

Background

Pest control products are only registered by Health Canada's Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) for use if there is reasonable certainty that no harm will result from exposure to, or use of, the product as directed on the label. Health Canada collects incident reporting data under the authority of the Pest Control Products Act. If a pesticide manufacturer receives information about an incident involving one of their products, they are required by law to submit that information to Health Canada. It is important to note that the information presented in incident reports reflects the observations and opinion of the person reporting it, and does not include any assessment by Health Canada, nor does it confirm an association between the pesticide and the effects reported.

Health Canada considers the reported information to determine if there are potential health or environmental risks associated with a pesticide and, if necessary, takes corrective action. Such action could range from minor label changes to discontinuation of the product.

Incident Report 2012-2270

Scott Canada Ltd. received information about an incident related to one of their products, which they submitted to the PMRA on June 21st, 2012. According to the report, a female intentionally ingested a product, Scotts^® Ecosense^TM Weed-B-Gon^® Ready-To-Use Weed Control with Quick Connect Sprayer (PCP# 29695), containing the active ingredient iron at 0.25%. She then developed tachycardia as well as hypertension. Medical treatment was provided and she was hospitalized for three days, following which, the symptoms resolved. No further details were provided in the report.

In accordance with the Pest Control Products Incident Reporting Regulations classification system, this incident was classified as Human Major. This incident report can be requested through the PMRA electronic Public Registry on the Health Canada website.

Health Canada Evaluation

In this incident, there was definite exposure to the pesticide given that the subject deliberately ingested the product. However, it is not known how much product was ingested. The symptom tachycardia, noted in the report, is highly consistent with the signs and symptoms of iron poisoning. It usually occurs in the early phases of iron poisoning and has been noted in serious cases. Hypertension, also noted in the report, is not a typical symptom of iron poisoning.

Health Canada Conclusion

Based on the known signs and symptoms of iron poisoning and other available information, it is considered probable that the reported incident is related to the ingestion of iron.

This incident resulted from the intentional ingestion of a pesticide and is not related to the labelled use of the product. The PMRA will continue to monitor the database for incident reports related to this product.

More information about the Pesticide Incident Reporting Program is available on the Health Canada Web site. Should you require further information please contact the Pesticide Incident Reporting Program.