How to Report a Pesticide Incident Involving Exposures to People
If someone has been exposed to a pesticide and has been harmed by that exposure, there are several actions you can take. The first priority, of course, is the health and safety of the affected person. Once that is ensured, you can report the incident in one of several ways.
On this page:
Information for Everyone
Non-emergency Reporting
- You may want to start by calling the National Pesticide Information Center (NPIC) at 1-800-858-7378 to find out more about reporting pesticide exposure or illness. NPIC also provides summary reports to EPA on incidents, but does not collect information for enforcement nor do they provide EPA with any personal identifying information.
- Call your state pesticide regulatory agency, especially if you are concerned about a possible illegal use of a pesticide. States generally have primary enforcement responsibility for pesticide misuse violations and for investigating possible instances of pesticide misuse.
- If you suspect that federal pesticide regulations have been violated, submit a report to EPA.
- For incidents that may not involve violations of pesticide laws and regulations, send us an email. If available, useful information includes:
- when, where and how the exposure occurred;
- any medical outcome;
- the number of people exposed;
- the pesticide involved (EPA registration number if available); and
- any other pertinent information.
- Tell the product's manufacturer who is required by law to submit reports of adverse effects to EPA. Their contact information is on the product label.
- For exposures at the workplace, you may also want to contact your local Occupational Health and Safety Administration office. NPIC offers a listing of resources on different state agencies.
Additional Information for Physicians and Health Care Providers
By law, pesticide-related illness is a reportable condition in several states.
- The Migrant Clinicians Networkoffers resources for clinicians on pesticide incident management and reporting.
- NPIC also offers Medical Case Profiles on Pesticide Incident Reporting (PDF). (3 pp, 329.55K, About PDF) NPIC has a medical toxicologist who is available to provide information and consult with physicians about non-emergency pesticide exposure cases.
- Some products applied to people or animals are considered drugs (pharmaceuticals). Adverse reactions to drugs should be reported to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
- Patients can be advised of the options listed above for reporting a pesticide exposure incident.