Acute illness associated with exposure to a new soil fumigant containing dimethyl disulfide - Hillsborough County, Florida, 2014

Details

• Personal Author:
  Calvert, Geoffrey M. ; Cavicchia P ; Mulay PR ; Tovar-Aguilar A ; Watkins SM ; Wiese M
• Description:
  Dimethyl disulfide (DMDS) is a new soil fumigant that is considered a replacement for methyl bromide. In 2014, the Florida Department of Health (FDOH) received several complaints of illness following a strong DMDS odor in Hillsborough County. Public health investigation of DMDS-related illness was conducted to assess illness and identify areas to target for prevention activities. This investigation included surveillance, interviews, review of medical records, review of supporting documentation, and determination of pesticide-related illness and injury case status. FDOH interviewed 66 people complaining of illness related to DMDS. Thirty-two were classified as possible and 11 as suspicious cases of DMDS-related illness. Among cases, the mean age was 48 years (range: 3-71 years). The majority were non-Hispanic (n=43, 100%), white (n=40, 93%), and female (n=23, 53.5%). The most common signs and symptoms reported by exposed people included eye pain, throat irritation, nausea, dizziness, headache, and fatigue. There were 88% of cases classified as having low severity of illness and 12% classified as having moderate severity. The average distance from an application site among individuals who reported being exposed at or near their home was 0.74 miles for those classified as cases (n=36) and 2.84 miles for those not classified as cases (n=21, p<0.05). This is the first known comprehensive report of DMDS-related illness in humans. Even though illnesses associated with DMDS in this investigation were generally of low severity, it is important to identify better ways to prevent off-target movement of DMDS and to improve notification to communities when nearby DMDS applications are planned. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Aging Chemistry Environmental Exposure Insecticides Men Occupational Health Risk Assessment Risk Factors Safety Women
• Keywords:
  Age Groups Author Keywords: Acute Poisonings Chemical Composition Chemical Properties Children Dimethyl Disulfide Exposure Levels Humans Injuries Odors Paladin Pesticides Risk Factors Soil Fumigant Statistical Analysis Surveillance

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• ISSN:
  1059-924X
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Florida ; Ohio ; OSHA Region 3 ; OSHA Region 4 ; OSHA Region 5 ; Pennsylvania
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  DSHEFS - Division of Surveillance, Hazard Evaluations, and Field Studies
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  373-379
• Volume:
  21
• Issue:
  4
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20048331
• Citation:
  J Agromedicine 2016 Oct; 21(4):373-379
• Contact Point Address:
  Prakash R. Mulay, MBBS, MPH, Florida Department of Health, 4052 Bald Cypress Way, Bin A12, Tallahassee, FL 32399-1720
• Email:
  Prakash.Mulay@flhealth.gov
• CAS Registry Number:
  Dimethyl disulfide (CAS RN 624-92-0) ; Methyl bromide (CAS RN 74-83-9)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2017
• NORA Priority Area:
  Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing ; Services
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Source Full Name:
  Journal of Agromedicine
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:8a90383963380c9cb30284bbbc20a843ccff44b4d65e0004f4c9a772a7496b2f0575e964b9969a0cb1c7af43e945d7dec960c32acf881451ed60a8b7ffce0136
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/203104/cdc_203104_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 805.93 KB ]