Re: Yikes - Cygon
Carl Gustafson (Carl.Gustafson@cbis.ece.drexel.edu)
Mon, 14 Nov 1994 08:53:50 -0500
Cygon (dimethoate) is pretty potent stuff. It will really knock the bugs
out, but it can do a lot of damage to the person applying it, too. I was
spraying my orchids in the Fall of 1993 with Cygon, to knock down any scale
before bringing them inside for the winter, and must have (a) caught a
little wind-drifted spray in the face, and (b) had a leak in the heavy
gloves I was wearing. I developed a pretty nasty skin condition
(blistering, loss of skin) that took around a month to heal. (Now, any time
tomato plants touch those affected areas, they start to blister in minutes.
Go figure.)
Before I get homilies on safe spraying, I admit that I should have been
wearing a full-faced respirator, which I wasn't. I do otherwise cover all
exposed skin, and shower after applying the spray, laundering the clothing.
I also don't use Cygon any more. There are other things that work, even
though not as well, but they don't have the potential for damage that Cygon
has. (I also don't want to take any chances with my now mobile son, who is
now two.)
Carl