I've always been made sicker than the bugs from insecticides. When I was in a serious flare one year, I was exposed to a formulation error in the pesticide used to spray my parents' house. My mom and I both became very sensitive to chemicals for a long time...like not being able to walk through pesticide or cleaning product aisles in stores! I was, in a way, lucky it affected her, or no one would believe me. Both of us found the chemical smell in the house to be horrific, but I was sick enough to have to go to motels and running up a huge bill, until it became clear that I would not be able to go back home for some time and needed to look for an apartment which my parents had to pay for! Needless to say, this did my lupus no good.
So headlines about pesticides and autoimmune disease do catch my eye:
Exposure to Insecticides May Up Autoimmune Disease Risk:
http://www.doctorslounge.com/index.php/news/pb/18307