Did you take your poison today?

Can these chemicals actually kill somebody?

Yes. The amount of pesticide required to kill a person depends on a number of factors. The most important factors are: the toxicity and amount of the chemical, the size of the person and the type of exposure.

If an average size man (70 kg) was to accidentally drink a pesticide, these are the amounts that would probably cause him to die:

Toxicity class	Lethal dose
Ia - Extremely Hazardous	a few drops (less than 1 ml)
Ib - Highly Hazardous	less than a teaspoon (1 to 5 ml)
II - Moderately Hazardous	between one and six teaspoons (5 - 30 ml)
III - Slightly Hazardous	between six teaspoons and 2 cups (30 - 500 ml)
IV - Unlikely to be Hazardous	more than 2 cups (more than 500 ml)

Children are more sensitive and would be killed by even smaller doses of the chemical.

Pesticides can kill. Many pesticides carry the well-know skull as a warning.