Delta Dust is the brand name for deltamethrin, a pesticide belonging to the pyrethroid family. Colorless and odorless, deltamethrin is derived from chrysanthemum flowers and often used on lawns ornamental gardens, golf courses and indoors on cracks. It causes nerve damage to insects but can also cause some harm in human if they are exposed to it.

Skin Tingling

When placed on the skin, deltamethrin can cause a variety of sensations, including tingling, itching, burning or numbness.These sensations usually go away within 48 hours of the end of exposure. A study of the effect of the chemical on rats showed that deltamethrin was poorly absorbed through the skin, with the minuscule amount that was absorbed through the skin passed out of body within 24 hours.

Eye Irritation

Deltamethrin can be mildly irritating if it gets in the eye, causing puffiness, redness and the production of fluid in the lungs. Deltamethrin has not been known to cause permanent eye damage, nor to be successfully absorbed through the eye.


Deltamethrin is relatively nontoxic and, if eaten or ingested in moderate quantities, produces little harm. People who have ingested large amounts of deltamethrin have experienced nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain and muscle twitches. Deltamethrin has, however, been shown to negatively affect dogs and cats. If they eat sufficient quantities, it can cause vomiting, drooling, incoordination, muscle tremors and even death. After consumption, the chemical was broken down in the body and excreted within two days.

Long-Term Exposure

Mice and dogs exposed to moderate quantities of deltamethrin over two years displayed no ill effects, nor did the chemical cause birth defects in animals that consumed deltamethrin during pregnancy. Deltamethrin is also not listed as carcinogenic, as no link has been established between deltamethrin exposure and cancer.

Environmental Effects

Deltamethrin does present a number of risks to the environment. According to the National Pesticide Information Center, it is moderately to highly toxic to fish, but essentially non-toxic to birds and mammals., However, because it is an insecticide, deltamethrin is highly toxic to honeybees, although only under laboratory conditions; it did not harm bees in field studies. Plants and other vegetation were not harmed by deltamethrin either, which is part of the reason it is a popular outdoor insecticide.

Miscellaneous Symptoms

According to Cornell University, a survey show that two-thirds of 200 workers who had spent a day packing insecticides similar to deltamethrin into boxes by hand reported a burning sensation and tightness and numbness on the face; an additional third had sniffs and sneezes. These symptoms generally occurred 30 minutes after exposure and rarely lasted more than a day.

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