Notes from Teleconference with Members of pesticide Poisoning Victims
United

and Consultant Mr. Stuart Turner

May 6, 2010

Participants

On site (EPA):  Carol Stangel, Deborah Smegal, Faruque Khan , Jeff
Dawson, Kathy Davis, 

Margaret Rice, Margarita Collantes, Jill Bloom

On the phone:  Erin Koch (EPA); Day Owen, Neila Owen, Maya Gee
(Pesticide Poisoning Victims United), Stuart Turner (consultant)

Introductory remarks

EPA mostly in a listening role (no decisions)

(Mr. Owen)  Thanks for meeting.  Petition requests three things; today
focus on establishment of appropriate buffer.  Pesticide applications of
concern are helicopter-applied; take place on mountains, under damp and
foggy conditions.  Residents live in valleys.

(Maya Gee) Organic farmer—dairy, eggs, produce.  In October 2007
exposed to drift from application one mile away.  Suffered difficulty
breathing, rapid heartbeat, joint pain, headaches, nausea, diarrhea;
took one year of detoxification to feel better.

Stuart Turner

Many years experience with forestry practices, aerial applications.

Because of the physical geography of the region (Coastal Range),
applications are made 75-100’ above the target area.  Applications
mostly herbicides to aid establishment of new trees.  Large droplet
size. Even in a field of new trees, there are standing snags that
dictate how high the helicopter must fly.  Most applications not in
conformance with law, labels say apply 10-15’ above canopy.  Cited the
example of Oust, DuPont product containing 75% sulfometuron methyl. 
(Subsequent review: label includes language “Application more than 10
ft above the canopy increases the potential for spray drift,” no
direct prohibitions)  Cited Acu-flo nozzle

Timing is critical because preferred species are mostly tolerant of
herbicides when they are not actively growing; spraying occurs from late
February to May, with April being the peak; may even occur over snow. 
Location gets a lot of rain.  Areas on average 35% slope, but up to 65%.

Applications at 75-100’—need 60-75’ to clear snags by 10’,
because of slope inside boom is 75’off the ground, outside boom 100’
 Helicopters fly on the contours—even without snags outside boom at
least 20’ above ground.

Many of the sprayed areas contain or are close to intermittent streams.

In the area of concern, microinversions, which prevent vertical mixing
of air, are not uncommon.  Air will come down the mountains and pool in
the valleys, where the topography of criss-cross ridges slows drainage,
and could contribute to a build-up of atmospheric pollutants over the
course of several days

One of the herbicides commonly used by the timber companies is
sulfometuron, which can be phytotoxic to non-target plants at very low
doses  Herbicides account for 95% of the pesticides applied; commonly
used herbicides contain sulfometuron, hexazinone, triclopyr, and 2,4-D. 
The herbicides are mainly used in the first five years of a planting. 
Typical pattern might be:

1.  First application for site-prep on clear-cut or near clear-cut
areas, to suppress “trash trees”

2.  Second application after “conifer release,” planting of Douglas
fir, spruce, Western red cedar; seedlings when planted are 1-3 years old

3.  In the first five years, herbicides may be applied once or twice
more.

Frequent fog-helicopters do apply when fog is present.  The swirling fog
travels at 2-4 mph due to predominant winds and currents. In Spring, fog
is present on about 90% of the days. On a foggy day, visibility between
applications at upper reaches of mountain and bottom 1000’ is limited.
 There is some evidence that pesticides move with the fog (per work of
Dr. Norman Akesson).

Mr. Turner will provide a video showing helicopter applications in the
Coastal Range.

Pesticides also applied over snow.  Potential for pesticides to appear
in snow-melt and run-off.  There are many seasonal or ephemeral streams
in the area where water may flow through August.

Jeff Dawson asked:  Are there technologies, nozzles, adjuvants that can
reduce drift in these situations? Mr. Turner replied that these
technologies are not adequate to limit drift under these particular
conditions, and that buffer zones are the only way. 

Alternate application methods:  Applications of herbicides can be made
with the “hack and squirt” method, whereby the bark of the
undesirable trees is cut and herbicide is spray into the cut. 
Applications via helicopter may be 250,000 A/year and big companies
think the crews to do this work are not cost-effective.  Owners of small
woodlot tend toward the backpack applications.  Applicators are supposed
to “use as directed” but labels are lacking in specifics that might
reduce drift.

Day Owen

Even though a lumber company doesn’t clearcut (then start a new crop
of trees) every area every year, from his house one can always spot a
clearcut in the surrounding mountains.

Neila Owen

Encountered pesticide drift from application by Roseberg Timber Company
on October 12, 2007; took her over a year to recover.

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