Advertisement

Does the smell of Baygon smell harm the fetus?

Dr Irwin Ziment
Professor of Medicine,
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), USA

Q: I am around 23 weeks pregnant. Currently there is a menace of cockroaches in our bathroom. So we sprayed Baygon before going to bed, in the bathrooms. When I used the bathroom the next morning I could get a strong smell of the spray still lingering in the bathroom. Is the spray harmful to my baby since I inhaled it? Should we avoid using the spray in future? Please advise.

A:Every drug, inhaled or otherwise, can harm if used or experienced in sufficient amount. Transient exposure to inhalants does not damage a fetus whereas cigarette smoking can. Housemite dusts and their extermination will not harm the fetus.