Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA.
Center for Human Health and the Environment, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA.
BMC Public Health. 2019 Jan 28;19(1):96. doi: 10.1186/s12889-018-6371-z.
The German cockroach, Blattella germanica, is one of the most challenging pests to eradicate from indoor environments. Professional pest control is often prohibitively expensive, prompting low-income residents to turn to over-the-counter consumer products, including total release foggers (TRFs, "bug bombs"). Despite their widespread use, little is known regarding either the associated pesticide exposure risks or the efficacy of TRFs.
Cockroach-infested homes were recruited into the study. Wipe samples were collected from various surfaces before TRFs were discharged, immediately after, and one month later to determine pesticide exposure risks in 20 homes (divided equally among four different TRF products). Simultaneously, cockroach populations were monitored in all homes to assess the efficacy of TRFs. In parallel, 10 homes were treated with gel baits (divided equally between two bait products), to compare TRFs to a more targeted, low-risk, do-it-yourself intervention strategy.
TRFs failed to reduce cockroach populations, whereas similarly priced gel baits caused significant declines in the cockroach populations. Use of TRFs resulted in significant pesticide deposits throughout the kitchen. Across all products, pesticides, and horizontal kitchen surfaces, pesticide residues following TRF discharge were 603-times (SEM ±184) higher than baseline, with a median increase of 85 times.
The high risks of pesticide exposure associated with TRFs combined with their ineffectiveness in controlling German cockroach infestations call into question their utility in the marketplace, especially because similarly priced and much safer bait products are highly effective in the indoor environment.
德国蟑螂，Blattella germanica，是最难从室内环境中根除的害虫之一。专业的虫害控制通常非常昂贵，这促使低收入居民转而使用非处方的消费者产品，包括全面释放喷雾器（TRFs，“臭虫炸弹”）。尽管它们被广泛使用，但对于与杀虫剂暴露风险相关的情况或 TRFs 的效果知之甚少。
蟑螂泛滥的家庭被招募参与这项研究。在释放 TRFs 之前、之后立即以及一个月后，从各种表面采集擦拭样本，以确定 20 个家庭（分为四种不同的 TRF 产品）的杀虫剂暴露风险。同时，在所有家庭中监测蟑螂种群，以评估 TRFs 的效果。同时，用凝胶诱饵（两种诱饵产品各有 5 个家庭）处理 10 个家庭，将 TRFs 与更有针对性、低风险、DIY 干预策略进行比较。
TRFs 未能降低蟑螂数量，而价格相近的凝胶诱饵则导致蟑螂数量显著下降。TRFs 的使用导致厨房内各个地方都有明显的杀虫剂沉积。在所有产品、杀虫剂和厨房水平表面中，TRF 释放后残留的杀虫剂是基线水平的 603 倍（SEM ±184），中位数增加了 85 倍。
与 TRFs 相关的高杀虫剂暴露风险，加上它们在控制德国蟑螂滋生方面的无效性，使得它们在市场上的实用性受到质疑，特别是因为价格相近且安全得多的诱饵产品在室内环境中非常有效。
