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. 2011 Aug;119(8):1162-9.
doi: 10.1289/ehp.1002843. Epub 2011 Jun 6.

Acute pesticide illnesses associated with off-target pesticide drift from agricultural applications: 11 States, 1998-2006

Soo-Jeong Lee  1 , Louise Mehler, John Beckman, Brienne Diebolt-Brown, Joanne Prado, Michelle Lackovic, Justin Waltz, Prakash Mulay, Abby Schwartz, Yvette Mitchell, Stephanie Moraga-McHaley, Rita Gergely, Geoffrey M Calvert
Affiliations

Acute pesticide illnesses associated with off-target pesticide drift from agricultural applications: 11 States, 1998-2006

Soo-Jeong Lee et al. Environ Health Perspect. 2011 Aug.

Abstract

Background: Pesticides are widely used in agriculture, and off-target pesticide drift exposes workers and the public to harmful chemicals.

Objective: We estimated the incidence of acute illnesses from pesticide drift from outdoor agricultural applications and characterized drift exposure and illnesses.

Methods: Data were obtained from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health's Sentinel Event Notification System for Occupational Risks-Pesticides program and the California Department of Pesticide Regulation. Drift included off-target movement of pesticide spray, volatiles, and contaminated dust. Acute illness cases were characterized by demographics, pesticide and application variables, health effects, and contributing factors.

Results: From 1998 through 2006, we identified 2,945 cases associated with agricultural pesticide drift from 11 states. Our findings indicate that 47% were exposed at work, 92% experienced low-severity illness, and 14% were children (< 15 years). The annual incidence ranged from 1.39 to 5.32 per million persons over the 9-year period. The overall incidence (in million person-years) was 114.3 for agricultural workers, 0.79 for other workers, 1.56 for nonoccupational cases, and 42.2 for residents in five agriculture-intensive counties in California. Soil applications with fumigants were responsible for the largest percentage (45%) of cases. Aerial applications accounted for 24% of cases. Common factors contributing to drift cases included weather conditions, improper seal of the fumigation site, and applicator carelessness near nontarget areas.

Conclusions: Agricultural workers and residents in agricultural regions had the highest rate of pesticide poisoning from drift exposure, and soil fumigations were a major hazard, causing large drift incidents. Our findings highlight areas where interventions to reduce off-target drift could be focused.

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Conflict of interest statement

The findings and conclusions in this report are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of NIOSH or each author’s state agency.

J.B. is assigned to the California Department of Public Health by his employer [Public Health Institute (PHI)] and has never been involved in any advocacy activities of PHI. The authors declare they have no actual or potential competing financial interests.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Eligible pesticide drift events and cases, 11 states, 1998–2006.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Incidence rate of pesticide poisoning associated with off-target drift exposure over time, 11 states, 1998–2006.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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