'Poisoned': Te Puke pensioner spent hours in hospital and 13days in motel after house sprayed for fleas

Kathleen Taewa wants to raise awareness of the potentially harmful side effects of chemicals used for insect control. Photo/Andrew Warner.

A Te Puke pensioner says she was poisoned after having her home sprayed for fleas.

Kathleen Taewa, who spent about 10 hours in Tauranga hospital and then 13 nights in a motel after her house was left ''uninhabitable'' after the incident, told the Bay of Plenty Times the experience left her traumatised and ''devastated''.

The 65-year-old has spoken out following the event which happened at Christmas to warn others about potential ''cowboys'' in the industry. She wants to raise awareness of the potentially harmful side effects of the chemicals being used.

But Wayne Walsdorf from All Clean & Bugs Away, who holds an Approved Handlers certificate and carried out the work using permethrin, said he followed all the rules and the incident had caused him undue stress.

''Is she trying to put me out of business?''

WorkSafe has also confirmed a certified handler certificate was not required for the use of permethrin under The Health and Safety at Work (Hazardous Substances) Regulations 2017.

Taewa said on Christmas Eve Walsdorf arrived at her house at 9am to spray for fleas and spiders. Taewa paid him $90 and claims at no time did he explain what type of chemicals he would use or any of the side effects.

When she returned to the house at 1pm, she called him to see if it was safe to enter the house. Taewa said she was told it was but inside ''it looked like there had been a snowstorm''.

''I didn't know where to look or where to start... everything was just white, it was like I had an-early snow inside.'' She opened all the doors and windows.

White powder covered all the household surfaces and carpet. Taewa started to wipe down surfaces and vacuum as instructed by Walseorf but within an hour she started to feel dizzy and breathless and called an ambulance.

''I started to feel funny and not right so I turned off the hoover and I went to the sink and started to wash my arms and my face. Then I got a towel put it over my face with my sunglasses on.''

She also rang All Clean & Bugs Away and asked him to return to the house urgently. He arrived and carried out further cleaning before watching her being taken away in the ambulance. She claims that was the last time she heard from him and he has since blocked her on Facebook.

Taewa said the experience had knocked her for six and she still felt unwell at times.

Not being able to return to her home for nearly two weeks while the house underwent commercial cleaning was also heartbreaking and ''devastating''.

But Walsdorf, who used permethrin dust inside the house, said ''I told her it was permethrin...I told her your house will be covered in dust. You will have to wipe and vacuum it up and you should be right after that''.

''She rang up in a mad panic because she had fleas and wanted it dealt with before Christmas and before her family arrived. I dropped everything and went in and did it for her.''

He had used the dust for about three or four other customers with no complaint and it was very efficient.

Walsdorf said he did not warn Taewa of any harmful side effects ''because there are little or none''.

Documents from the hospital show Taewa was admitted on December 24 and - the principal diagnosis was ''poisoning''.

Taewa admission forms said she was exposed to pyrethrin from surfaces and her symptoms included lightheadedness and feeling generally unwell.

An AMI spokeswoman said a claim was lodged by Taewa after she arranged for her rental property to be treated for bugs.

''AMI determined that the extent of residue left behind by the insect spraying process required extensive cleaning and was an acceptable claim under her policy''

''We engaged a commercial cleaning company to carry out a thorough clean of her home, and also arranged for alternative accommodation for our customer for the period that the property was uninhabitable.''

Accessible Properties, which owns Taewa's house, said tenant ''health and well-being is extremely important to us''.

Tauranga general manager Vicki McLaren said they promptly arranged for her to stay in a motel for seven days from December 27 to January 3.

Kathleen Taewa spent about 10 hours in Tauranga hospital and then 13 nights in a motel after her house was sprayed for fleas. Photo/ Andrew Warner.

''We were happy to pay the upfront costs of the accommodation, around $870. Because she has contents insurance, we expect to recoup those costs at a later date.''

McLaren said it would encourage all our tenants – and in fact residents across the country – to take out contents insurance for their own protection.

''We attempted to contact the pest control company to discuss what had been done at the property, but never heard back from them.''

Consumer NZ adviser Paul Doocey said pest controllers should not be able to treat people's homes with chemicals that may be harmful without explaining the risks to the customer.

Key Industries managing director Frank Visser who sells Dust2Dust which was used in Taewa's house said it was one of the least toxic of all of the Synthetic Pyrethroid insecticides.

The active ingredient was permethrin and it was used as a component in many household products including fly sprays, pet dusts, pet flea shampoos and human lice (louse) shampoos.

Dust2Dust could be used inside houses to control various pests but application should be via a puffer indoors to minimise the off-target spread of the dust, he said.

''It can be used in behind fridge motors and in ovens to control cockroaches and inside electrical switches to control ants in wall cavities without fear of electric shocks.

''In-ceiling voids and subfloors a dust blower can be used to get good coverage for insects such as ants and wasp nests.''

But Visser said it sounded like the coverage of the household effects was due to using a blower inside ''and the alleged health effects we spoke of were due to breathing in the dust without a dust mask during the cleaning down operation''.

Peter Barry from the Pest Management Association of NZ Incorporated said it had about 300 registered professional members and the last complaint it received was in 2017.

Membership was voluntary and it had strict requirements. All Clean & Bugs Away was not a member.

Barry said while permethrin was generally considered safe ''one can understand that the use of this product with its multiple cautioning and warnings may affect some people, whilst others have no affect from exposure''.

One of the warnings on the label said do not inhale the dust while a hazard statement on the safety data sheet said may cause allergy or asthma symptoms or breathing difficulties if inhaled and may cause damage to organs through prolonged or repeated oral exposure.

In December 2017 new legislation was passed by WorkSafe and EPA detailing the new requirements for handling and management of pesticides.

The aim was to phase out the Approved Handler license, which only required a half-day course to understand the basics of the Hazardous Substances and New Organisms Act as it pertained to pesticides. It did not include proper Health and Safety in pest management, understanding of pesticide formulations and application methods, nor the effects of pesticides on humans, vertebrate animals or insects and pest biology, Barry said.

However, while the first part had kicked in on December 31 others could still operate until their current approved handler test certificate until it expired.

Now a Qualified UPM Contractor, must hold NZQA Certificates or Unit Standards.

''Once the last of the Approved Handlers have upgraded themselves to the one of the requirements of the Qualified UPM Contractor PMANZ will be satisfied that all pest controllers in New Zealand will have at a minimum, a better basic understanding and training of the requirement of Health and Safety to the public and the environment of toxic pesticides, and know-how to apply them properly in the urban situation.''

WorkSafe response

A WorkSafe spokeswoman said it had not been notified of any unsafe work or notifiable injuries relating to All Clean & Bugs Away.

A certified handler certificate was not required for the use of permethrin under The Health and Safety at Work (Hazardous Substances) Regulations 2017.

''The current regulations have strengthened the obligation for operators using permethrin. Operators must ensure they are trained, wearing appropriate personal protective equipment, they advise clients of the risks associated with the substance they're using, and that they have access to information on the safe use of the substance.''

''It is the operator's responsibility to protect workers and others while work is being carried out.''

As ''a person was admitted to hospital, WorkSafe should have been notified and we are following up with the operator concerned,'' she said.