Pesticide disaster in Mississippi
In response to a pesticide disaster in Mississippi, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is taking steps to stop future use of restricted-use pesticides in urban areas.
More than 1500 homes and businesses in Mississippi were sprayed with methyl parathion by unlicensed pest control operators over a two-year period ending in November 1996. The only legal uses of methyl parathion are for agricultural crops under restricted conditions; all indoor uses are prohibited.
The spraying has resulted in the temporary relocation of more than 1100 people. In addition, local veterinarians reported deaths of household animals due to methyl parathion exposure.
Eight day-care centres, one restaurant and two hotels that were sprayed have been closed, and extensive clean-up operations are under way. Clean-up costs may reach more than US$50 million. Nine individuals have been arrested and criminally charged with misuse and/or illegal sale of the pesticide.
EPA staff had developed a plan for a national program to combat the illegal use of agricultural chemicals to kill household pests, but were unable to get funding for the program last year.
As part of their research, EPA staff compiled records of 22 accidental deaths since the mid-1960s caused by illegal home use of methyl parathion or ethyl parathion. Some of the victims were children who died after drinking pesticides from unmarked containers or after crawling on floors that had been sprayed.
An estimated 2 million kilograms of methyl parathion are used annually in the US, approximately 95% of it on cotton, soybeans, field corn, peaches, wheat, barley and rice.
Parathion has been banned in at least 14 countries. From the time it was introduced to the US market in 1948, parathion has been a leading cause of occupational pesticide poisonings. It is a potent neurotoxin easily absorbed into the body and has also been linked to a wide variety of health effects, including reproductive and endocrine-disrupting Effects.
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