MANY people, every day, ingest poisons of various kinds without being conscious of what they are doing. This gradually impairs their health and they fall ill with much frequency, never being able to discover the cause. 
This syndrome seems to be a characteristic of city life and city civilisations.
For instance, in Pompeii, that famous ancient city which was destroyed by the volcano Vesuvius some 2,000 years ago, the population tended to die at younger ages than in other parts of the Roman Empire.  This was inexplicable at the time, as Pompeii was a city of the highest luxury where the rich retired and where all the “modern” amenities were provided. One of these amenities was piped water to the homes; but the pipes used were lead pipes where the water became lead-poisoned. After drinking this water over a period, many died from lead poisoning. Lead poison had not been identified in the ancient world and so many many Pompeiians died without knowing that they had been ingesting lead poison.

In Guyana, today, we regularly use insecticides of various kinds. For example, there are mosquito coils. There is a Guyana Standard for such coils which prescribes the amounts of poisonous chemicals to be used in production. Coils produced mostly in East Asia do not conform to the Guyana Standard but are imported or smuggled into the country. These coils have a surfeit of harmful chemicals and when the smoke is inhaled, it begins to cause headaches and nausea, damaging the lungs and stomach. And many of these East Asian coils are perfumed to conceal their otherwise unpleasant odours, thus making them even more dangerous.
Or there are the cheaper rat poisons sold on the streets. Many of these poisons are extremely harmful to humans and if, after consuming the poison, the rodent bites or touches human food such as grain or wheaten flour, it becomes contaminated.
Almost all the aerosol insecticides are harmful to health if inhaled. Such aerosol insecticides are not only used for mosquitoes and other flying insects, but ants, cockroaches and other walking insects. If ever such aerosols are used, a face mask such as a towel or a piece of gauze must be used and and the body should be covered to avoid contact with the insecticide since the skin would easily ingest such poisons.
Chemicals used in agriculture, such as the various types of herbicides and fertilisers, contain poisons which are dangerous and there are many cases of persons dying from ingesting them. Some years ago, a family in Berbice ate wheaten flour which was stored near fertilisers and which contaminated the flour. Almost the whole family died. And farmers and others using herbicides and fertilisers must use protective clothing such as gloves and face masks, since poisons are taken into the body by inhaling and the skin ingests such poisons. Some of the herbicides such as grammaxone have no antidote.
In the interest of space, we had decided not to name in detail the poisons used in the various products and to explain how they harm the body. Instead, we would suggest the following simple measures which consumers and the general public could use to protect themselves against ingesting poisons:-
(1) Carefully study the manufacturers’ instructions as to the contents and methods of use of all pesticides, rodenticides, herbicides and fertilisers before usage.
(2) Remember that the inhaling of poisonous fumes, as for example aerosols, could be avoided by use of a face mask. In the use of herbicides and fertilisers, always use protective clothing for if the poisonous substance goes on the skin, it would easily be ingested into the body.
(3) The National Bureau of Standards and the Pesticide Board often publish warnings of dangerous products in the print media and on their websites. Shoppers could check with the Bureau or Board to get the names of safe and dangerous brands.
(4) One should be careful not to inhale cooking gases. Always keep the kitchen or other place where cooking gas is stored properly ventilated. Cooking gases now carry little or no odour, so one could inhale them without being conscious that one is so doing. A few years ago, a distressing tragedy occurred on the West Bank of Demerara, when a family had just taken up residence in their newly-built home, went to bed, forgot to ensure that their cooker and gas cylinder were turned off, and were all found dead next morning, poisoned by gas.
In writing this offering, Ms Andrea Mendonca of the National Bureau of Standards was very helpful in making a great deal of detailed data available.
By Pat Dial