Q&A: Can exposure to pesticide during pregnancy harm my baby?

by Dr. Gerard M. DiLeo

I am trying to get pregnant. My husband and I are considering buying a house which has some termite infestation and some dry rot or fungus. The pest inspector's termite recommendation is that the under part of the house be treated with Premis (or Premise) 75, which contains active ingredients Imidacloprid 1-[(6-Chloro-3-pyridinyl) mythyl]-Nitro-2-imidazolidinimine 75.0 percent; Inert 25 percent.

For the dry rot he recommends that we treat the under part of the house with Tim-bor (or Timbor), which contains active ingredients Disodium 2, Octaborate 8, Tetrahydrate 13, and 4 H20. (Na2 B8 013 + 4h20) 98 percent.

The treatments would be done at least a few days before we move in but obviously the chemicals remain. If I am pregnant, is there any risk at all of birth defects with these chemicals if I do not enter the house for at least a few days after treatment? How much time after the treatment would it be completely safe for me to inhabit the house?

These are question better answered by an inorganic chemist than a doctor. The crucial questions are:

  1. Does the chemical give off fumes that can get into the house?

  2. Do you use well water?

  3. If there is contamination via fumes or water, are these chemicals that have been proven harmful?

I'm from the New Orleans area, the termite capital of the world, and this isn't a famous concern. But still, I'd ask the company what information they have and to point you toward resources that can answer the above three questions.

It's hard not to be paranoid with pregnancy, but you have to live, too. You definitely should treat the termites. Even if you were to be too careful with these types of concerns, how do you not know your next door neighbor doesn't have harmful treatment chemicals under his house?

The point is that usually common methods that are harmful are already famous. So ask the company, also, if these treatments are the usual fare, or are they new or unusual treatments that don't have much of a track record.

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