Fact
Sheet #1
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Lily growers use more than 50 agricultural pesticides on the Smith River Plain. The ones listed here are the most dangerous of these chemicals. |
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Chemicals used in the Smith River Plain 2000 |
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1,3-Dichloropropene |
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For more information on pesticides and efforts to curb their use, see: |
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Californians for Pesticide Reform Northwest Coalition for Alternatives to Pesticides (one of the
best resources on chemical facts): |
Pesticide Action Network Pesticide Watch |
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1,3-Dichloropropene (1,3-D) is an acutely and chronically toxic biocide and soil fumigant. It is a restricted use chemical and may only be applied by licensed applicators. In the Smith River area, where use of 1,3-Dichloropropene increases annually (from 7,059 pounds in 1996 to 55,105 pounds in 2000), it is used primarily to kill nematodes. A known cancer-causing agent, 1,3,-D has also been known to cause gene damage. Protective clothing is required for workers applying this chemical; however there are no materials that are “completely impervious to penetration by liquid 1,3-D,” according to the manufacturer for U.S. distribution, DowElanco. 1,3-D leaches readily into the groundwater. According to the Center for Ethics and Toxics (CETOS), 1,3-D is a close cousin to 1,2-dichloropropane, a carcinogen that was banned in Del Norte County in 1985 but continues to turn up in Smith River groundwater supplies. Exposure to 1,3-D can lead to chest pains, irritation of the respiratory tract, coughing, and rashes. Single doses can cause lung damage and the kidneys are particularly sensitive Most typical exposure is via inhalation, though ingesting it is most toxic. 1,3-D is a probable human carcinogen & probable reproductive toxin. It is highly soluble in water and does not evaporate readily. Telone II is likely to contaminate groundwater. Aquatic organisms can be killed by concentrations of less than 10 parts per million. 1,3-D has been shown to be toxic to fish, shrimp and aquatic invertebrates. It is manufactured by DowElanco for U.S. sales, and by Shell International Chemical Co. for sale in other countries. |
Here’s a look at 1,3-dichloropropene from NCAP’s Journal of Pesticide Reform “People exposed occupationally or from spills to 1,3-dichloropropene have suffered chest pains, coughing, breathing difficulties and skin rashes. Irritation of the eyes and respiratory tract, liver and kidney damage, and cardiac arrhythmias are also symptoms of 1,3-dichloropropene exposure. … Studies of applicators who fumigated Dutch flower bulb fields with 1,3-dichloropropene have measured changes in five parameters of liver and kidney function. A California study of applicators found evidence of kidney damage in nine of the fifteen workers tested. … Several kinds of cancer have been associated with exposure to 1,3-dichloropropene in humans and animals. In 1984, two doctors published reports of three patients with malignancies believed to be associated with exposure to 1,3-dichloropropene. Two were firefighters who assisted with the 1973 clearnup of a 1,3-dichloropropene spill from a jackknifed trailer truck in Los Angeles. Both were later diagnosed with malignant lymphoma and died in 1980. The third patient was a farmer who was exposed to the chemical in 1975 through a broken hose connection on his application equipment. He was diagnosed with leukemia about a year following exposure and died shortly thereafter.” |
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Methyl Bromide
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Between 35-80% of methyl bromide evaporates into the atmosphere during application. It is listed as a toxic air contaminate and is the cause for at least 15 % of ozone depletion in the world. The United States is the largest user of all nations with the majority being used in California & Florida. It has been banned for use in industrialized nations by the year 2005, a deadline that has been extended several times due to heavy lobbying pressures from agricultural interests. The Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment lists methyl bromide as a developmental toxin (resulting in, among other maladies, skeletal deformities, missing gall bladders, and missing lobes of the lungs). It is a potential groundwater contaminate, having been detected in wells in California. Few studies exist on the effects of Methyl Bromide on wildlife though it is listed a s being moderately toxic to aquatic organisms. Methyl Bromide is manufactured by two companies in the United States, the Great Lakes Chemical Corporation in Arkansas, and Albemarle also with a plant in Arkansas. Great Lakes is the largest producer and was listed as being the #1 polluter in Arkansas based on the 1994 Toxic Release Inventory. |
Methyl bromide is classified by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as a Toxicity Category 1 chemical, which is the highest classification for acute (immediate death) toxicity. It is a gas soil fumigant and may only be applied and purchased from licensed applicators. Methyl bromide, a biocide, kills everything in the soil, sterilizing it as a first step in a chemical-dependent planting regime. Due to pressure by powerful agricultural interests, advance notice is not available to residents living in the area of fields being fumigated. According to the Del Norte County Agricultural Commissioner’s Office, local methyl bromide applications have occurred in residential areas and near the Smith River School. Exposure to Methyl Bromide occurs through inhalation and can cause convulsions, coma, central nervous depression, respiratory failure and death. Lower exposure rates causes irritation to skin, eyes, lungs, loss of coordination and speech defects. Prolonged small doses can cause acute medical problems. |
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Chloropicrin
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Chloropicrin is used as an insecticide and soil pre-plant fumigant,
and makes up 33 percent of the chemical Tri-Con (methyl bromide).
Other uses include treating wood poles and timbers for internal
decay. During World War I Chloropicrin was used as a chemical warfare
agent. It is considered a Class I toxic by the EPA and is highly
toxic by all routes: oral, dermal, and inhalation. Inhalation can
cause injury to the respiratory tract, vomiting, and possibly death.
Chloropicrin is also added to methyl bromide as a warning agent,
as methyl bromide is odorless. Nonetheless, the California Department
of Food and Agriculture Worker Health and Safety Unit warns, “DO
NOT rely on smelling chloropicrin, if used as a warning agent. …
Certain conditions may allow excessive exposure to methyl bromide
vapors before you can detect the chloropicrin.” Airborne exposure
of minute doses for 3 seconds can cause eye irritation, while inhalation
exposure for a few seconds can cause incapacitation. Higher exposures
of a minute or longer can cause pulmonary edema and possibly death.
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Metam Sodium
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Metam sodium is a biocide used to sterilize soil prior to planting
and is the third most commonly used agriculture pesticide in the
U.S. Metam sodium is classified by the EPA in its most hazardous
acute toxicity category. Metam sodium has been shown to cause birth
defects, increased fetal loss, is a probable human cancer causing
agent. Exposure can result in skin irritation, eye irritation and
nervous system damage. It can cause allergies via sensitization.
The primary breakdown product of metam sodium is MITC (methylisothiocyanate)
which can induce asthma. Metam sodium is a reproductive toxic, immune
system toxicant, and probable human carcinogen. It is highly toxic
to fish; 1 part per trillion of MITC has caused 100 % mortality
in tadpoles. |
On July 14, 1991 a train car went off the tracks above the Sacramento River in Dunsmuir Ca, dumping approximately 13,000 gallons of metam sodium into one of the finest trout fishing stretches of the river. According to California Dept of Fish & Game (CDFG) the ecology of the Sacramento River was "severely affected." Nearly all the plants and animals were killed 40 miles downstream. CDFG reported fish kills in the hundreds of thousands and the spill impacted microorganisms just as severely. A fisherman made this observation ‘We did not at first notice one striking fact when we visited the river a week after the spill, the implications of which sank in slowly. None of the dead fish in the river had begun to decompose. They were as bright as if you had just landed them. There was nothing there to nibble on their corpses, no bacteria to rot them." |
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Copper Sulfate
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Copper sulfate is highly toxic to fish. In 1995 California EPA banned the sale and use of products containing copper sulfate due to exceeded acceptable levels in San Francisco Bay and its estuaries. The counties included in the ban were Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara and Sonoma. Copper sulfate may also be poisonous to sheep and chickens at normal application rates. Most animal life in soil, including large earthworms, have been eliminated by the extensive use of copper sulfate in orchards. |
Like methyl bromide, copper sulfate is classified by the Environmental Protection Agency as a Toxicity Category 1 chemical (immediate death). It is a fungicide used to control bacterial and fungal diseases. It is highly toxic in humans and there have been reports of suicide from ingesting gram quantities. Signs of poisoning include a metallic taste in the mouth burning pain in chest and stomach, intense nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, sweating and shock. Skin contact can result in itching or eczema. Chronic exposure to low levels of copper sulfate can lead to anemia. Copper sulfate has also been shown to cause reproductive effects and endocrine tumors. |
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Copper Hydroxide
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Copper Hydroxide is an inorganic fungicide and bactericide. Signs of copper hydroxide poisoning include burning in the chest and abdomen, intense nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, headache, sweating and shock. Copper Hydroxide is listed as being hazardous to fish with the lethal concentration being 0.88ppm (parts per million) in 24 hours. Griffin Corporation in Valdosta, Georgia manufacturers copper hydroxide. |
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Chlorothalonil is a widely used fungicide in the Smith River area.
Chlorothalonil is classified by the EPA as a probable human cancer
causing agent, and it is contaminated with hexachlorobenzene, a
known carcinogen. Its toxicity is heightened when exposure occurs
through inhalation. Inhalation has the greatest toxicity, irritating
to the eyes and skin; people working with chlorothalonil can become
sensitized and form allergic rashes and swelling. Chlorothalonil
is a probable human carcinogen and reproductive toxin. This chemical
can contaminate the air traveling beyond the field and has been
found in nearby residential neighborhoods. It is persistent in soils
and acutely toxic to fish, crab, frogs, and water fleas. |
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| Phorate is a restricted use chemical, an extremely toxic insecticide. Symptoms of exposure include blurred vision, headaches, nausea, irregular heart & respiration rates, sweating, convulsions and tremors. Inhalation and skin contact are the most common routes of exposure, with young people being most susceptible. Several poisoning cases involved workers from 16-18 years old, wearing inadequate protection while applying phorate to crops, or working around machines used to apply phorate. Repeated exposure to small quantities can result in slow thinking, memory defects, irritability, delayed reaction time and anxiety. Phorate is highly toxic to fish and mammals. In an incident in Kansas in 1986, three swift foxes were found dead and phorate was confirmed as the cause of death when stomach contents were analyzed. In Tule Lake, California (November 1986) 50 mallards and pintails were found dead in a field that had been treated with phorate; analysis reveled phorate in all the birds analyzed. In a monitoring study, five dead or debilitated bald eagles and one red tailed hawk from the Fraser River delta in British Columbia tested positive for phorate. American Cyanamid is the basic manufacturer of phorate in the U.S. |
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