Post by toddbalsiger on Jan 23, 2015 6:06:36 GMT -7
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New pesticide mixture sickens Washington farmworkers
BY MOLLY HARBARGER THE OREGONIAN/OREGONLIVE
Twenty farmworkers picking cherries in Washington became sick from a pesticide mixture that drifted from a pear orchard into their field. The mixture is new on the market, and this is the first reported case of illness due to its use.
None of the farmworkers had permanent damage, but several suffered from various symptoms for at least two weeks, according to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
In April 2014, two tractor-pulled airblast sprayers sent a mixture of pesticides over pear trees in an orchard in Douglas County to fight psylla insects.
The chery orchard workers were scattered within 30 to 350 feet of the pear orchard, and later testing revealed all the cherry trees in that range carried pesticide residue from the pear spraying.
According to the CDC report, the farmworkers and pesticide sprayers disagree over when the sprayers saw the workers and stopped spraying.
The pear orchard managers did not notify the cherry farm managers before spraying that day, even though managers at both farms had given each other notice in the past.
The pesticide applicators, who wore protective gear, noted the wind speed was about 4 mph hours before the spraying.
However, by the time the tractors were spraying near the cherry orchard, the wind was blowing at 18 mph in a circular pattern.
All of the workers reported feeling ill within minutes of exposure. The crew leader called 911 and emergency medical responders decontaminated five workers at the orchard and took them to an emergency department to treat them further.
Eventually, 16 workers sought medical help for their symptoms, which ranged from moderate to low severity. All of the workers reported at least one or two symptoms consistent with the pesticides’ warning labels, including headaches, dizziness, skin tingling, nausea, vomiting, eye pain and upper respiratory issues.
The chemicals were pyridaben, novaluron, triflumizole and phosphoric acid.
“This event highlights the need for greater efforts to prevent off-target drift exposures and promote awareness about the toxicity of some recently marketed pesticides,” the CDC report said.
• mharbarger@oregonian.com
503-294-5923
New pesticide mixture sickens Washington farmworkers
BY MOLLY HARBARGER THE OREGONIAN/OREGONLIVE
Twenty farmworkers picking cherries in Washington became sick from a pesticide mixture that drifted from a pear orchard into their field. The mixture is new on the market, and this is the first reported case of illness due to its use.
None of the farmworkers had permanent damage, but several suffered from various symptoms for at least two weeks, according to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
In April 2014, two tractor-pulled airblast sprayers sent a mixture of pesticides over pear trees in an orchard in Douglas County to fight psylla insects.
The chery orchard workers were scattered within 30 to 350 feet of the pear orchard, and later testing revealed all the cherry trees in that range carried pesticide residue from the pear spraying.
According to the CDC report, the farmworkers and pesticide sprayers disagree over when the sprayers saw the workers and stopped spraying.
The pear orchard managers did not notify the cherry farm managers before spraying that day, even though managers at both farms had given each other notice in the past.
The pesticide applicators, who wore protective gear, noted the wind speed was about 4 mph hours before the spraying.
However, by the time the tractors were spraying near the cherry orchard, the wind was blowing at 18 mph in a circular pattern.
All of the workers reported feeling ill within minutes of exposure. The crew leader called 911 and emergency medical responders decontaminated five workers at the orchard and took them to an emergency department to treat them further.
Eventually, 16 workers sought medical help for their symptoms, which ranged from moderate to low severity. All of the workers reported at least one or two symptoms consistent with the pesticides’ warning labels, including headaches, dizziness, skin tingling, nausea, vomiting, eye pain and upper respiratory issues.
The chemicals were pyridaben, novaluron, triflumizole and phosphoric acid.
“This event highlights the need for greater efforts to prevent off-target drift exposures and promote awareness about the toxicity of some recently marketed pesticides,” the CDC report said.
• mharbarger@oregonian.com
503-294-5923