Help - RAID Wasp/Hornet spray got into pool water

Hi!

So, my very helpful dad was going after wasps today and he followed one nasty bugger with his spray right into the pool water where my 5 year old daughter was swimming. He didn't spray her but the spray was in the water and he kept spraying for a good 4 seconds as I am screaming at him to STOP! I told my daughter to get out of the pool NOW. My dad argued back that the spray would dissipate in the water and everything was just fine.

So daughter jumps in again before I can stop her and I see all sorts of nasty oily slicks and droplets all through the pool water. It is NOT dissipating! I grab her and we are outta there to go take a long shower.

So...while I am not too worried for her and her exposure right now (unless I should be!), my question is...when will the pool water be safe and or when will the spray dissipate? It is an inground pool 16x32. There looked to be tons of these oil slicks in it as we were hastily grabbing our stuff to head home. 4 seconds of that kind of spray is a long time in my book.

First, the ratio of spray to water should be relatively insignificant for a pool of that size and second, the oil slick should filter overnight. You can turn off the bottom filters and just filter at the skimmer/top filter to get rid of the oil slick.

I would not hesitate to put my children back in the pool tomorrow.

Try poison control hotline. Have the can in your hand, so you can read off ingredients and ounces. Know how many feet wide x length your pool is.

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Originally Posted by Chall

Try poison control hotline. Have the can in your hand, so you can read off ingredients and ounces. Know how many feet wide x length your pool is.

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Ditto!

I'd also suggest skimming the top and maybe shocking the hell out of that pool water.

If the wasp chemicals and shock chemicals won't cause a reaction...I'm no chemist.

Probably not a huge issue considering pool size, but much better safe and neurotic than sorry when it comes to children. :yes: A good mom is a neurotic one, LOL!

I wouldn't worry about it, wouldnt even occur to me to worry about it. Faaarrrrr worse things/much larger quantities have found their way onto my self, and who knows what all gets in our pool lol

But if you are worried, I'd try the poison hotline ;)

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Originally Posted by jump4me

I wouldn't worry about it, wouldnt even occur to me to worry about it. Faaarrrrr worse things/much larger quantities have found their way onto my self, and who knows what all gets in our pool lol

But if you are worried, I'd try the poison hotline ;)

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Yup, the solution to pollution is dilution

Yeah, but apparently from the description, this is an oil based product, and doesn't dilute with water. Find out - first from dad, what it was, and if it can be diluted with water.

Sounds to me as though the oil containing the pesticides floats on the top of the water, and isn't diluted into it. There are surfactants which can break down oil to degrade into the water, at which point the pesticides might as well, but for now I would consider that the pesticides are contained/retained in the oil.

I would definintely try filtering the top water, skimming, etc. to remove the oil from the pool. This can't be the first time oil has had to be removed from a pool. If you can do that, I would assume that the pesticides were removed along with it.

The next day, though, check carefululy to see if the oil has depostited in a ring around the sides of the pool. This is going to have to be cleaned off.

Besides checking with the poison people, check with pool people about removing an oil based substance from the pool, never mind the pesticides part.

Are you serious? Sounds to me like another overprotected and entitled adult in the making. When I was a kid we ATE dirt, climbed trees (even fell out of them) and rode our bikes withput wearing helmets and full body armor. Today, I am a productive member of society, have never been in jail, am DEFINITELY not entitled to anything.....All that know me will say I turned out okay.

Perhaps you should make your child wear a dust mask at all times...who knows what he/she is breathing in at any given time.

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Originally Posted by MistyBlue

I'd also suggest skimming the top and maybe shocking the hell out of that pool water.

If the wasp chemicals and shock chemicals won't cause a reaction...I'm no chemist.

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Shocking a pool is meant to rid it of bacteria, algae, and other living things.

Me, I'd just try to skim as much oil off the top that I could and not worry about it.

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Originally Posted by HoofaSchmigetty

Are you serious? Sounds to me like another overprotected and entitled adult in the making. When I was a kid we ATE dirt, climbed trees (even fell out of them) and rode our bikes withput wearing helmets and full body armor. Today, I am a productive member of society, have never been in jail, am DEFINITELY not entitled to anything.....All that know me will say I turned out okay.

Perhaps you should make your child wear a dust mask at all times...who knows what he/she is breathing in at any given time.

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When I was a kid I visited relatives who had a house on Barnegat Bay. Morning and evening a truck came around fogging the area with DDT

You could think "I came out okay (although a bit judgmental)," or you could think of what might have been...

I climbed and fell out of trees and ate dirt (and snakeskins!!!), and while I might think I turned out okay, others might consider me an object lesson.

Thanks for all the replies. I did speak to the RAID people and they said that one filter cycle should clean it up. They were very good with two emails and a phone call by the way. We went swimming today and no residue that I could see and no smell. It was just SO GROSS when it happened and smelled too. No, I do not intend to raise an overprotected child. She gets plenty dirty I can assure you and we have more of a 10 second rule instead of a 5 second rule for food that falls on the floor.

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Originally Posted by HoofaSchmigetty

Are you serious? Sounds to me like another overprotected and entitled adult in the making. When I was a kid we ATE dirt, climbed trees (even fell out of them) and rode our bikes withput wearing helmets and full body armor. Today, I am a productive member of society, have never been in jail, am DEFINITELY not entitled to anything.....All that know me will say I turned out okay.

Perhaps you should make your child wear a dust mask at all times...who knows what he/she is breathing in at any given time.

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Why would you post that?

I'm just not getting why someone would write such a critical sentence to the OP "another overprotected and entitled adult in the making" about their child or their parenting. What on earth does this post have to do with entitlement anyway? There are some nasty chemicals in sprays etc today that weren't around when you were busy eating dirt as a child. Sure, maybe you think the OP is overprotective, but she was asking a question and looking for advice. It hardly warranted your snide little "look at me, I'm so great" post.

you might want to have a talk with your dad about not spraying wasps anywhere near children. If you read the label for that stuff, it's really not a good idea to either inhale it or get it on your skin, and kids tend to be much more sensitive to toxins than adults are.