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PANUPS: Farm Workers Poisoned



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                   Pesticide Action Network 
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September 12, 1996

Farm Workers Poisoned in Pesticide Drift Accident

Twenty two farm workers including three pregnant women were 
rushed to hospitals last week after being poisoned by a 
mixture of toxic pesticides while harvesting grapes near 
Bakersfield, California, according to United Farm Workers 
(UFW). A crop dusting plane was applying pesticides to a 
nearby cotton field when the accident occurred. It is 
estimated that as many as 225 additional farm workers were 
also exposed to the chemicals, which drifted into the grape 
fields. Victims exhibited a range of pesticide poisoning 
symptoms including vomiting and irritated eyes and noses.

According to county officials, the plane was spraying cotton 
for mites and aphids with a mixture of Lorsban 
(chlorpyrifos), Danitol (fenpropathrin) and Curacron 
(profenofos). A slight breeze carried the pesticides toward 
the grape field where the chemicals drizzled down on workers, 
many of whom tried to escape by running away. Most of the 
affected workers were treated at local hospitals and released 
the same day. One pregnant woman was held overnight for 
observation.

A county agricultural commissioner stated that the poisoning 
was "a somewhat unique occurrence," and that "for a crop 
duster plane to affect a mass of people, that's not common at 
all." However, UFW charged that pesticide drift is very 
common, and stated that "thousands of farm workers in 
vineyards and fields are exposed to toxic poisons every day 
-- often without their knowledge."

The crop dusting company responsible for the accident 
maintains that the pilot was experienced and followed 
regulated pesticide application methods when he sprayed the 
cotton field. According to the county officials, the 
chemicals were registered for use on cotton and no prior 
notification of the spraying was required.

Dr. Marion Moses of the California based Pesticide Education 
Center pointed out that even though crop dusters may follow 
current laws there are still many dangers. "Pesticide 
molecules follow the law of physics, not the rules of the 
state of California," she said. Several studies have 
indicated that 50 to 75% of pesticides applied by aircraft 
miss their target, and some scientists believe that 
pesticides applied by air drift at least five times further 
than they do in ground spraying. In 1994 there were 155 
possible cases of pesticide exposure from drift near farms, 
most from aerial spraying, according to the California 
Department of Pesticide Regulations (DPR).

Danitol is classified by the U.S. Environmental Protection 
Agency as a Category I acute toxin, the most potent class of 
toxic chemicals. Lorsban and Curacron are both classified as 
Category II toxins. Chlorpyrifos, the active ingredient in 
Lorsban, is one of the most widely used insecticides in the 
U.S. and is also one of the leading causes of pesticide 
poisonings in the U.S., according to the Northwest Coalition 
for Alternatives to Pesticides (NCAP). Chlorpyrifos causes a 
range of neurological problems and has been linked to human 
birth defects, fetal death in animals and damage to human and 
animal reproductive systems. Of reported agricultural 
pesticide poisonings in California between 1984 and 1990, 
chlorpyrifos ranked fifth in systemic and respiratory 
illnesses and sixth in acute illnesses. Approximately three 
million pounds were applied in California for agricultural 
purposes in 1994, according to DPR. 

Sources: Los Angeles Times, September 5 and September 7, 
1996; "Preventing Pesticide-related Illness in California 
Agriculture," Bill Pease et. al., 1993; "Environmental and 
Economic Costs of Pesticide Use," David Pimentel et. al., 
1992; Pesticide Use Report, Annual 1994, Indexed by Chemical, 
DPR, 1996; The Bakersfield Californian, September 5, 1996; 
"Statement from Arturo Rodriguez, President, United Farm 
Workers, on Pesticide Poisoning of Grape Workers," UFW Press 
Release, September 4, 1996.

Contacts: Jocelyn Sherman, United Farm Workers, 519 Main 
Street, Watsonville, CA 95076; phone (408) 763-4820; fax 
(408) 728-4590; PANNA.

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