Inspection Detail

Inspection: 116495110 - Prescription Lawn And Pest Control, Inc.

Inspection Information - Office: Charleston Area Office

Investigation Summary

Employee #1, a pest exterminator with 35 years of experience and licensed by the state of West Virginia, Department of Agriculture, was in an apartment applying a regular monthly dose of a pest treatment chemical. He was later found, dead, sitting in the apartment. According to the employer at the time, Employee #1 had a history of heart problems and his heart was said to be functioning at 15 percent capacity. He had been terminated in July 1998 by his previous employer due to a heart condition, and was working two days a month for his current employer to maintain his applicator's license. The death certificate stated that Employee #1 died of heart failure from toxic organophosphate exposure. The manufacturer and the International Poison Control Center both stated that at the concentration used, the pesticide was a low hazard material and would not have induced heart failure. The manufacturer's fact sheet on the diluted form of the product supports this claim.

Keywords: CARDIOVASC SYSTEM, HEART, HEART ATTACK, INHALATION, CARDIOVASC DISEASE, PESTICIDE