Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
at the ends of the rows (Christian 1990a, 1990b). An investigation by the Virginia Department
of Agriculture and Consumer Services established that the farmer had not misused the pesticide,
although the agency recommended that, in future, he should be more diligent in covering up poorly
placed potatoes and granules (Walls 1990).
8.2.2.1.10
April 1990, corn, Essex County, Virginia
This kill is highly signifi cant and the account of it particularly compelling because: 1) the farmer
applied Furadan 15G at less than half the usual rate (0.5 kg ai/ha); 2) the farmer applied the granules
in-furrow, therefore giving the best possible incorporation of the product; and 3) one of the authors
of this chapter (L. Lyons) and other natural resource personnel who were familiar with carbofuran
participated in the fi eld investigation. She was able to provide insightful information on the distribu-
tion of carcasses and other relevant features of the fi eld. Notable in her observations was an absence
of obvious granule spills (i.e., the farmer had thoroughly incorporated the pesticide into the soil) and
that the investigators found dead birds throughout the entire fi eld area, often as far as 30 to 50 metres
from a fi eld edge.
The signifi cance of this fi nding was twofold. First, it confi rmed that some birds do make use
of the centre-fi eld areas. Field margins are generally more important during the breeding season
when the parent birds are especially motivated to limit their time away from the nest while foraging.
However, many of the applications of granulars at seeding occur before there is much in the way of
nesting activity and while there are migrants still present on the fi elds. Our personal observations
reveal that migrants are just as likely to land anywhere in the fi eld that appeals to them. In addition,
some birds (e.g., cattle egrets and various gull species) follow the planter to catch invertebrates that
are tilled up or fl ushed up by the tractor. Although more diffi cult to observe, it is likely that smaller
birds such as sparrows or buntings can be similarly drawn to farm machinery.
A second conclusion derived from the fi eld-wide distribution of carcasses is that the problem was
not merely spillage of granules at row ends, but incomplete incorporation throughout the length of
the furrows. Field investigators found more than 200 dead birds in this incident, excluding feather-
spots (i.e., partially scavenged carcasses, with remains mostly consisting of feathers) and moribund
individuals. A jogger who happened to be running by the fi eld reported the kill.
8.2.2.1.11
July 1990, corn, several counties in Iowa
Fite, Randall, Young et al. (2006) tabulated fi ve separate kills reported following the aerial applica-
tion of granular carbofuran. These applications, which relied on the premise that granules would fall
in the whorls of the corn plants, were allowed in the US at the time although they clearly resulted
in substantial exposure of pesticide granules on the soil surface. Observers reported several dozens
of birds of many species including not just the usual seed eaters (sparrows, blackbirds etc . . . ) but
also insectivores (e.g., house wren (
Troglodytes aedon)
, common yellowthroat (
Geothlypis trichas)
,
brown thrasher (
Toxostoma rufum
) and even a downy woodpecker (
Picoides pubescens
).
8.2.2.1.12
February 1992, corn, Hidalgo County, Texas
In 1991, the US EPA reached an agreement with FMC Corporation that would lead to a voluntary
phaseout of most uses of the granular formulations. The agreement would only allow the sale of
1 100 kg of product on a few minor crops including bananas in Hawaii, cucurbit crops (e.g., melons
and cucumbers), pine seedlings and spinach grown for seed production. Because this was a 'vol-
untary' change, the manufacturer did not have to suffer the bad publicity associated with a product
cancellation.
The agreement allowed growers to continue using existing stock and incidents therefore
continued to be reported beyond the settlement date. Fite, Randall, Young et al. (2006) reported
that 100 cattle egrets were found dead following an in-furrow application. Investigators determined
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