What is an incident?

An incident includes any unintended or unexpected effects on humans, domestic animals or the environment that results from exposure to, or use of, a pesticide. It includes any symptoms, such as:

• for humans: headache, nausea, rash, seizures, respiratory problems, etc.;
• for domestic animals: excessive drooling, vomiting, loss of fur, convulsions, etc.; and
• for environment: plant damage, abnormal leaf or fruit loss, dead fish or birds, etc.

Why report a pesticide incident?

Although all pesticides are carefully tested for safety before they are registered, some adverse effects may not become evident until the general population uses a product under “real-life” circumstances. By submitting a suspected incident report, you are contributing to the ongoing collection of information on pesticides after they have been registered.

Incident reports will help the PMRA to identify any potential risks to humans or the environment from the use of pesticides and to take corrective actions when necessary. Such corrective actions could range from minor label changes to discontinuing the product.

You do not have to be certain that a pesticide caused the effect in order to report it. Pesticide incident reports are, for the most part, only suspected associations.

How can an incident be reported?

Currently, the public and the medical community can report pesticide incidents to the manufacturer and to the Pest Management Information Service of Health Canada's PMRA. When reporting to the PMRA, you must provide the information mentioned below.

As of April 26, 2007, the public will be encouraged to report incidents directly to the manufacturer, who will be required by law to report them to the PMRA. A phone number and address will be provided on all product labels to facilitate reporting.

What information should be provided when reporting a pesticide incident?

The following information is necessary for the PMRA to evaluate the incident:

• name of product, registration number, or active ingredient (available on the product label);
  
  
• description of the incident - include a description of each symptom, their duration, and the number of subjects (e.g., persons, plants, etc.) affected; and
  
  
• description of how the exposure occurred (e.g., during application of the product, from drift of the product, from contact with an area treated with a pesticide, etc.).

Example 1: Pesticide X. I applied the product to my dog’s skin, as directed on the label. A rash appeared on my dog's skin 2 hours after the treatment and lasted for 2 days.

Example 2: Registration Number 55555. The yellowing of my cedar hedge appeared following spray drift of a product that was applied to the neighbouring field and the damage seems permanent.

Related Documents

• Fact Sheet on Reporting Pesticide Incidents
  
  
• Recognition and Management of Pesticide Poisonings
  5th edition (1999). Edited by J. Routt Reigart, M.D. and James R. Roberts, M.D., MPH. Office of Prevention, Pesticides, and Toxic Substances, United States Environmental Protection Agency

Useful Links

• If you want to report an adverse reaction or a problem about another type of product, please visit Health Canada's Adverse Reaction Reporting web page.
  
  
• Report a pest control product adverse effect that occurred in the United States directly to the US manufacturer or to the National Pesticide Information Center , 1-800-858-7378
  
  

Please visit this website regularly for updated information on the pesticide incident reporting program.