How can families reduce the risk of exposure to malathion?
• The general population is not likely to be exposed to large amounts of malathion. However, exposure may be reduced by staying away from fields that have been recently sprayed, by wearing protective clothing when applying malathion around the home or in gardens, and by washing fruits and vegetables grown in gardens treated with malathion before eating. In areas where malathion is sprayed to control medflies or mosquitos, families can reduce exposure by remaining inside during spraying periods, and by washing their hands and clothes if they come in contact with sprayed surfaces within a few days of the spraying. • Children should avoid playing in soils near uncontrolled hazardous waste sites where malathion may have been discarded.
