mostly nonfiction and bakersfield news | July 10th, 2009
12 Farm Workers, 2 Ambulance Workers Sickened From Pesticide Drift
Pesticides drifted from an apple field onto an adjacent onion field on Friday morning sickening a dozen farm workers. Two ambulance personnel who responded to the scene were also sickened as a massive decontamination bubble was set up to clean others affected by chemicals.
According to the Kern County Fire Department, at approximately 8:13 a.m., fire crews responded to reports of a chemical spray that drifted onto farm workers in a field at the junction of Highline Road and Pellisier Road in Cummings Valley, Calif. (near Tehachapi).
Upon arrival, crews were faced with approximately 12 farm workers who had been exposed to a chemical overspray. Sean Collins of the Kern County Fire Department said, “I think they were in an onion field next to an apple orchard.” He said while farm workers were in the onion field the wind changed direction and pesticides that were being sprayed at a low level from a tractor went onto them.
“The company whose land it was, was Grmmway Farms,” Collins said. “It was from a tractor that was spraying in the orchard from pressurized tanks.” Face News did not speak with Grimmway Farms. It’s unknown what kind of penalties they could face as a result of the sickened farm workers.
Fire officials said several victims of the drifting pesticides were suffering with adverse symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, and a general feeling of unwell. “When I got there, there were a bunch of people moving around and several people being decontaminated. Nobody was rolling around on the ground in pain or anything like that,” Collins said. He did say a few of the farm workers had vomited. Mostly, he said those affected by the drifting spray just felt unwell.
Officials also said spray victims received emergency decontamination and were subsequently transported to local area hospitals. During the victim evaluation process, two Hall Ambulance employees displayed signs of sickness. One was transferred to a local area hospital.
A Mass Decontamination Unit also arrived from Lamont, which is a strange sort of compartmentalized enclosed bubble, and decontaminated a further 7 victims, according to officials.”We have two of those units. It’s like a portable shelter about 20 feet by 12 feet,” Collins said. “We can set it up in a few minutes from a trailer. They attach it to an air supply.”
Collins added that the bubble shelters inflate like a bounce house and inside there are six different compartments. Those afflicted enter in one end and go through a decontamination process chamber by chamber. Victims disrobe and shower in the first cubicle. That’s followed by another wash and rinse down. They redress in a disposable jump suit with shoes. Clothes gets picked up and labeled. “All that runoff water is drained into a sealed bladder that is decanted safely,” Collins added.
Officials said 18 Kern County Firefighters responded to the incident assisted by Kern County Environmental Health Department, Stallion Springs Police Department and the California Highway Patrol.
The chemical was identified as an insecticide, though no specific name was given. Fire officials said the incident is now under the control of the Kern County Environmental Health Department.
Related article: Should Pregnant Women, Children Fear Delano, Arvin Drinking Water Supplies?
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