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Small doses - Pesticides News No. 27
Pesticide
pay out for post traumatic stress
Walter
Ives, an ex-employee of Manchester City Council (UK) has been awarded £43,000
(US$65,000) in damages for compensation for personal injuries. Mr Ives suffered
ill health caused by exposure to lindane used as a wood preservative. Low levels
of lindane were found in his blood and he subsequently suffered ‘flu-like
symptoms’. The majority of his damages however, were paid in relation to an
anxiety state following his exposure known as ‘post traumatic stress
disorder’. This is a substantial settlement and unusual compensation for this
type of case. “I believe it is the first of its kind in relation to anxiety
following exposure to a pesticide” said Alan Care of Leigh Day & Co.
Leigh Day & Co.
Scientists
in Australia have linked organochlorine pesticides used against termites with a
sudden increased death rate in tawny frogmouth owls. A recent study on 10 dead
frogmouths revealed five times the fatal level of organochlorines in their brain
tissue. It is likely that the frogmouths were susceptible to long-term
accumulation through the food chain, and that the high levels were due to eating
animals contaminated with
Dr
Jenny Charles, the pathologist who carried out the study said it was “highly
likely” that organochlorines were affecting other wildlife species but the
frogmouths were noticed because they died in a “spectacular way”, screeching
in agony.
The Sydney Morning Herald, 16/12/94.
New
plant to boost
Zeneca
Agrochemicals has opened a new £40 million (US$ 60 million) plant at
Huddersfield, UK, to produce its herbicide paraquat. It is one of the world’s
most widely used herbicide and most of the output will be exported (See report
of agrochemicals in Brazil pages 4-6). At the opening ceremony Charles Energy
said: “I am delighted to open this new state of the art facility... I can
assure you that the Department of Trade and Industry is committed to supporting
the company in its application to re-register the product.” It is interesting
that export potential is to be taken into account when registering a product!
Pesticide Outlook, February 1995.
Pesticides
were implicated in two of the relatively few specific examples of misuse of
overseas aid, according to the UK National Audit Office. A recent report
examined grants to forr African countries between 1987 and 1993. It concluded
that parts of a £3 million (US$4.5 million) 1988-89 insecticide contract
between the Ghana Cocoa Board and ICI were overpriced by between 17% and 46%.
The Audit Office also found the Crown Agent incorrectly approved £315,600
(US$473,400) of pesticides for Zambia between 1989 and 1990, which were not
covered by the aid agreement.
Agrow
No 225, 3/2/95.
A
UK Cumbrian fruit grower has been fined £500 (US$750) for using DDT which had
been used on a crop of blackberries which were subsequently sold to the public
in 1994. DDT was banned in the UK in 1984. Health and Safety Executive inspector
for Cumbria, Alastair NcNab said: “It was a shock to us that a farmer was still using DDT which was banned due to its environmental
persistence.”
Farmers
Weekly, 21/12/94
Snails
keep invading rural post boxes in Cornwall and shredding people’s letters,
according to the Post Office. They are apparently attracted by the odour of
human saliva and the animal-based gum. The mail-eating snails are a particular
pest in the comparatively warm, wet south-west of England. As many
Poison
pellets and brush-type excluders were used, in vain. On the advice from The
Pesticides Trust [now PAN UK], the letter slots will be protected by copper strips. The
theory is no snail, no matter how ravenous, will cross it.
Today,
6/3/95.