Tempo mosquito sprays expose users to various health hazards.
Bayer Corporation's Tempo mosquito and bug sprays are chemically classified as pyrethroid insecticides for commercial use. Bayer's material safety data sheet for Tempo 20% Wettable Powder identifies hazardous ingredients as cyfluthrin, crystalline silica and a chemical with a privatized identity available only to Bayer. Cyfluthrin is the active ingredient in all of Tempo's aerosol bug spray products.
Eye Exposure
Bayer Corporation recommends that you wear goggles while handling Tempo insecticides. If your eyes are exposed to Tempo bug spray, you may experience conjunctiva irritation, increased redness, itching and/or a stinging or burning sensation. If some Tempo mosquito spray does enter the eye, Bayer advises consumers to flush the affected eye for 15 minutes with large amounts of water while holding the eyelid open. If irritation persists, you should consult a doctor.
Skin Contact
In addition to wearing goggles when handling Tempo mosquito spray, you should protect your skin with long sleeves, long pants and chemical-resistant gloves. You should also keep soap and water accessible during use. Tempo bug sprays can cause skin reddening, rashes and parasthesia -- a sensation of burning along the surface of the skin -- approximately two to 12 hours after contact. Without treatment, symptoms subside after one day. Standard treatment involves removing contaminated clothing and washing affected skin with soap and water. Topical vitamin E acetate can prevent and mitigate parasthesia. If symptoms do not subside, contact a physician.
Mucous Membrane Contact
When Tempo mosquito spray is inhaled, it will come in direct contact with mucous membranes inside the nose, mouth and upper respiratory tract. Irritation to these areas can occur, resulting in a runny nose, sneezing and congestion. People with hyperactive respiratory conditions like emphysema and asthma are more susceptible to irritation. Long-term inhalation of sprays containing silica can cause a form of progressive lung fibrosis called silicosis that can result in permanent lung failure. If mucous membrane irritation occurs, the affected person should be moved to fresh air. Univar USA and Bayer both recommend using Tempo bug sprays in well-ventilated areas.
Ingestion
In the event that Tempo mosquito spray is inhaled, it's likely that some of it has also been swallowed. Although long-term studies of chronic exposure did not establish Tempo bug spray ingredients as cancer-causing agents, when fed to rats, the active ingredient, cyfluthrin, showed an increase in mammary gland cancers and body weight gain. If you have ingested Tempo bug spray, you should drink one or two glasses of water and induce vomiting.
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