Report Shows Pesticide Poisoning Up Close
As decision on legalizing toxic strawberry pesticide looms, groups showcase first-hand accounts of pesticide poisoning
SACRAMENTO, CA - A report released today profiles victims of pesticide poisoning across the state who call on the Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) not to register methyl iodide, a cancer-causing pesticide that would be used to sterilize soil. A decision on whether or not to register the industrial chemical for farm use is imminent.
The report, Profiles of Poison, features nine short stories of individuals who suffered pesticide-related health damage from Ventura to Tulare to Monterey to Imperial Counties. They are representative of communities across California for whom pesticide poisoning is a constant and all too common danger. All these victims demand that methyl iodide not be registered so other workers and residents will not suffer the consequences of pesticide poisoning.
Pesticide drift was responsible for many of the poisonings profiled in this report. These victims were poisoned in or near fields, but drift can reach people much further away. For example, pesticides sprayed from planes in 2007 to control the light brown apple moth (LBAM) along California's Central Coast drifted approximately 3.3 miles. Many of these drift-prone pesticides are increasingly linked to cancers and adverse developmental and reproductive effects. Methyl iodide, a volatile fumigant pesticide, would be especially prone to drift.
"While many people worry about the toxic products below their kitchen sink, we can't avoid what's outside our front door and around our homes," said Marilyn Lynds, spokesperson for the Moss Landing Heights Neighborhood and victim of pesticide poisoning. "Pesticides are like the genie in the bottle; once they're out, you can't put them back inside."
Increasingly, studies indicate that pesticides are pervasive. They often end up inside homes, either directly from the air, or are tracked in by people or pets. Earlier this year, researchers from the UC Berkeley School of Public Health conducted a study of hundreds of homes in the Salinas Valley and found high rates of two pesticides in dust and residues around the homes. Both pesticides linked to cancers and serious developmental effects in children. In one case, the pesticide has been banned from home use for decades.
"California communities face an overwhelming burden of pesticide poisoning," said Paul S. Towers, director of Pesticide Watch Education Fund. "State decision-makers need to create better protections so that pesticides don't end up in our air, water and bodies in the first place."
Methyl iodide is a water contaminant, nervous system poison, thyroid toxicant and is listed on California's Proposition 65 list of "chemicals known to cause cancer." It can readily drift away from its intended target and expose neighboring residents and farm workers in nearby fields. In the Central Coast region, where homes, schools, and businesses abut these fields, methyl iodide would be applied on strawberry and tomato fields at up to 175 lbs per acre. Over fifty internationally recognized scientists, including five Nobel Laureates, as well as thirty-three California state legislators have raised serious concerns about the chemical. Victims are now joining these experts, demanding that DPR hear their stories and heed their call not to register yet another highly toxic pesticide.
Michele Smylie says her "life changed in seconds" in May 2000 when a crop-duster flew over her home in the hills of Ventura County. "Within 72 hours of being sprayed all my organs were failing," said Smylie. Though she's still at greater risk to develop Parkinson's, Alzheimer's and other neurological disorders, she considers herself lucky to have survived. "No family should ever have to live the nightmare that we have."
In November 2007, Domatila Lemus was celebrating Grandparent's Day at Sunnyside Elementary School (Tulare County) with her two grandchildren when pesticides drifted from a neighboring field into the schoolyard. "That's when I noticed some of the kids looking dizzy and almost falling down," said Lemus. "Three little girls seemed particularly sick." She called a friend who notified the County Agricultural Commissioner. The Agricultural Commissioner's investigation turned up 11 infractions in that pesticide application. Domatila hopes her story touches the hearts of regulators and growers, "I want authorities to be conscientious and active in protecting our health."
When pesticides drifted into Earlimart, CA in November 1999, Teresa DeAnda was evacuated from her home along with her family and many of her neighbors. "Many people were unable to breathe," said DeAnda, "and developed headaches and dizziness; some even began vomiting." She goes on, "The incident completely changed my life. As a survivor of pesticide poisoning, I don't want to see others suffer the same fate, or worse, due to this new pesticide."
In the coming weeks, authors of the report are sharing the stories of pesticide poisoning with elected officials and state agency staff across the state.
For more information, or to read a copy of the Profiles of Poison report, please visit www.PesticideWatch.org or www.PesticideReform.org.
