Fact Sheets

While You Wait

How To Reduce Exposure to the "Cotton Poison" in Your Home.

Fact Sheet (8/97)

UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS EXTENSION

Limiting Exposure

While you are waiting for lab results on the wipe samples or before urine samples, you can do some things to reduce exposure to areas of your home that possibly could be contaminated.

Do not touch potentially sprayed surfaces!

Keep children and pest away from these areas!

Important

  • These areas are often discolored with a yellow stain.
  • Keep children and pets away from these areas!
  • Open windows, run exhaust fans, and if possible replace air filters on your heating-and-air-conditioning systems. This will increase the amount of air flowing through the house.

Laundry

Fabric items in your home or apartment may also be contaminated with methyl parathion. Use the following ideas when you wash any clothing, towels, or bedding which may have been exposed to the pesticide. Contaminated items may have a yellow stain.

Washable Clothing Directions

  1. Handle contaminated clothing with rubber or latex gloves.
  2. Purchase any brand of heavy duty laundry detergent (liquid).
  3. Wash all contaminated clothing in a separate load from the rest of the laundry.
  4. Fill the washer with clothes and hot water (full-load cycle).
  5. Do not overload the washer.
  6. Set the wash cycle for normal washing (at least a 12-minute wash).
  7. Wash the clothing three times.
  8. If the clothes still have yellow stains after three washings, throw them away in a plastic bag.
  9. Dry the clothes on a clothes line if possible. Machine drying is okay too.
  10. After washing is completed, clean washer by running empty washer through one cycle with detergent and hot water.

NOTE:

  • Do NOT dry-clean clothes that have been contaminated.
  • Leather items cannot be decontaminated. Place contaminated leather items in plastic bags and throw them in the trash. Do not give contaminated leather items away.

For more information on cleaning materials contact:

1. Your Local County Extension Office

  • Chicago North (773) 292-4444
  • Chicago South (773) 737-1179
  • Suburban check local listing

2. State/Local Health Agencies

  • Cook County Dept of Public Health (for suburban Cook County residents) (708) 445-2536
  • Chicago Dept. of Public Health (312) 747-9805
Urbana, Illinois 1997. Issued in furtherance of the Cooperative Extension Work Acts of May 8 and June 30, 1914, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Dennis R. Campion, Interim Director, Cooperative Extension Service, College of Agriculture, Consumer, and Environmental Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

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