Smoke is a government-developed strategy to control mosquitoes, and involves passing a car that emits a low-dose “cloud” of smoke from a pesticide that eliminates most adult mosquitoes present in the area. Therefore, it is a technique widely used in times of epidemic to eliminate mosquitoes and prevent the transmission of diseases such as dengue, Zika or chikungunya.
Embora não seja a forma mais segura de eliminar mosquitos, é bastante rápida, fácil e eficaz, tornando-se uma das principais armas usadas contra os mosquitos durante epidemias.
- Geralmente.
- A dose usada em uma aplicação é segura para a saúde humana.
- No entanto.
- Se a aplicação for muito frequente o agrotóxico pode ir se acumulando no corpo.
- Causando alguns danos no sistema nervoso.
Find out how you can remove mosquitoes naturally and safely
In Brazil, the pesticide used in smoke spraying is malathion. It is a laboratory-developed substance widely used in agriculture to prevent the development of pests in crops.
Once sprayed, the malathion remains in the air for up to 30 minutes, but remains on surfaces and on the ground for several weeks, while degraded by the sun, wind and rain. Thus, the period in which more care is needed is during the first 30 minutes, during which the pesticide can be breathed easily, even reaching the blood.
Although doses are even lower, malathion can still be taken from food or water contaminated with the pesticide, for example.
Since its use at prolonged intervals, smoke does not present a health risk, as the dose of malathion used is very low.
However, if smoking is used without judgment, especially by private entities, it can lead to the accumulation of a very high dose in the body, which can lead to changes such as:
These symptoms occur because malathion acts directly on the central nervous system, which inerts all organs in the body.
If these symptoms appear after being near a stream of smoke, it is very important to go to the hospital immediately to start appropriate treatment and avoid the appearance of sequelae.
To reduce the risk of being exposed to a high dose of malathion during a spray of smoke, there are some precautions such as:
Smoke is often applied by private entities without worrying about human health and, therefore, if this is observed, it is very important to inform the authorities immediately.