Worker Illness Related to Newly Marketed Pesticides — Douglas County, Washington, 2014

Details

• Journal Article:
  Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR)
• Personal Author:
  Calvert, Geoffrey M. ; Prado, Joanne B. ; Rodriguez, Luis
• Description:
  On April 10, 2014 the Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) was notified by a local newspaper of a suspected pesticide poisoning incident in Douglas County involving pesticides not previously reported in the published literature to be associated with human illness. On that same day, WSDA notified the Washington State Department of Health, which investigated this incident by conducting a site visit, reviewing medical and applicator records, and interviewing affected farmworkers, pesticide applicators, and the farmworkers' employer. In addition, on April 11, WSDA collected swab, foliage, and clothing samples and tested them for residues of pyridaben, novaluron, and triflumizole. In this incident, all 20 farmworkers working in a cherry orchard became ill from off-target drift of a pesticide mixture that was being applied to a neighboring pear orchard. Sixteen sought medical treatment for neurologic, gastrointestinal, ocular, and respiratory symptoms. 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. Incidents such as this could be prevented if farm managers planning pesticide applications notify their neighbors of their plans.
• Subjects:
  Agriculture Imidazoles Occupational Exposure Occupational Health Pesticides Phenylurea Compounds Pyridazines Respiratory System Respiratory Tract Diseases
• Source:
  MMWR Morbidity Mortal Weekly Rep. 2015; 64(2):42-44.
• Series:
  Weekly Report: Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR)
• ISSN:
  0149-2195 (print) ; 1545-861X (digital)
• Publisher:
  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (U.S.)
• Pubmed ID:
  25611169
• Pubmed Central ID:
  PMC4584598
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Washington ; OSHA Region 10
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  3 pdf pages
• Contributor:
  West, Matt
• Volume:
  64
• Issue:
  2
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20045559
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR)
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:ac7f5fcc5f5f5a371e00ea19aaf0cb0a5bcf532b0d526066a5cdf0c3e88477b01ead7bdddba06294d2596e6846a382e2b911289abbc24cfd1e19acf1e941c4e1
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/55045/cdc_55045_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 125.80 KB ]