Pesticide poisoning: what to do in the first 30 minutes

4 November 2026 · 3 min read · Krishoker Thikana desk

Pesticides and weedkillers protect crops, but they are poisons. A splash in the eyes, spray breathed in on a windy day, liquid soaked into clothes, or a mouthful swallowed by mistake can make a person seriously ill within minutes. What the family does in the first half hour matters a great deal.

Signs to watch for

• Headache, dizziness, sweating or blurred vision during or after spraying.
• Nausea, vomiting, stomach cramps or diarrhoea.
• Watering eyes, a runny nose, a lot of saliva, or tight breathing.
• Muscle twitching, weakness, fits or fainting. These are serious signs.

First, keep yourself safe

Move the person away from the spray, the field or the spilled bottle. Do not get the poison on yourself: wear gloves or use a cloth or polythene over your hands. If the person is not breathing or has collapsed, call 999 at once.

What to do, by type of exposure

• On the skin: take off the wet clothes and wash the skin and hair with plenty of clean water and soap.
• In the eyes: rinse gently with clean running water for at least 15 minutes, holding the eyelids open.
• Breathed in: move the person into fresh air, loosen tight clothing and keep them calm and still.
• Swallowed: rinse the mouth with water. Do not make the person vomit unless a doctor tells you to, and never give anything by mouth to someone who is drowsy, fitting or unconscious.

Get to hospital, and take the bottle

Go to the Upazila Health Complex or the nearest hospital straight away, even if the person seems to improve. Take the pesticide bottle or packet with you, or a clear photo of the label: the doctor needs the name of the chemical to choose the right treatment. On the way, Shastho Batayon (16263) can give a doctor's advice 24 hours a day.

What not to do

• Do not give milk, oil, salt water, soap water or home remedies to cause vomiting.
• Do not wait to see whether the person gets better on their own.
• Do not take the person to a traditional healer instead of a hospital.

Paraquat: why there is no time to lose

Paraquat is a weedkiller sold widely in Bangladesh. A study of 10 hospitals found that deaths from paraquat poisoning rose from one in 2013 to 212 in 2024, and doctors say there is no specific antidote. Even a small amount swallowed needs hospital care immediately.

Prevention is the best treatment

• Keep all farm chemicals in a locked box, away from the house, children and food.
• Never pour pesticide into water, juice or cold-drink bottles, and never reuse empty pesticide bottles.
• When spraying, wear a mask, gloves, long sleeves and shoes; do not eat, drink or smoke until you have washed.
• Spray with the wind behind you, never into it, and keep children and animals away from the field.
• If someone in your family is going through a very hard time, keep chemicals locked away and the key with a trusted person.

The Wellbeing page of this site lists 999, 16263 and other free help for farm families.