Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
sample revealed 231 ppm carbofuran, so exposure from drinking water could have been a contribu-
tory factor.
8.4.4.2.7
March 1993, corn, San Joaquin County, California
An aerial application made to an alfalfa fi eld killed 15 house fi nches, one house sparrow and a
'gopher' (the generic term used for a species of small mammal most likely to be a ground squirrel).
Laboratory analysis revealed 0.49 ppm carbofuran in the gizzard contents of one fi nch and 1.8 ppm
in the stomach content of the small mammal (Fite, Randall, Young et al. 2006). The latter probably
grazed on the treated alfalfa.
8.4.4.2.8
May 1993, corn, Kent and New Castle Counties, Delaware
Fite and colleagues (2006) describe these applications as 'subsurface injections' of carbofuran.
Nevertheless, in one application observers reported two dead tree swallows, a common grackle, a
red-winged blackbird, a starling, a rock dove and a rat (species unreported). Gastrointestinal tract
samples of the starling and rock dove contained 9.2 and 30.4 ppm of carbofuran, the other samples
were negative. Following another application, observers reported two dead common grackles and
a mallard. One grackle sample contained 15.3 ppm carbofuran while the other grackle and mallard
were negative for residues.
8.4.4.2.9
August 1995, squash, Prince George County, Maryland
An application of 1120 g a.i/ha in-furrow at seeding came to light after observers reported a dead
cardinal (
Cardinalis cardinalis
) as well as 11 Canada geese and two bald eagles killed on site (Fite,
Randall, Young et al. 2006). Remains of small birds and seeds were found in the eagles suggesting
that other birds had died in the incident; the eagle's gastrointestinal tract contents contained 2.35 and
3.1 ppm carbofuran.
8.4.4.2.10
May 1998, corn, Northampton County, Pennsylvania
Observers found a group of 13 birds (tentatively identifi ed as grackles) near a pond about 25 metres
from a treated cornfi eld (Fite, Randall, Young et al. 2006). Internal organ samples were positive for
carbofuran. Investigators postulated that the higher wind speeds (circa 48 km/hour) promoted drift
in the direction of the pond.
8.4.4.2.11
March 2006, alfalfa, Perry, Oklahoma
FMC reported an incident where approximately 100 blackbirds (this most likely refers to the red-
winged blackbird) and two red-tailed hawks were found dead at the edge of an alfalfa fi eld treated
with Furadan 4F (US EPA 2009). Most mortality cases in alfalfa are the result of birds grazing
vegetation directly (refer to Section 8.4.4.1). However, blackbirds do not graze. Based on the results
of their internal investigation, FMC concluded that mortalities occurred in a discrete area where
the custom applicator had cleared his spray lines prior to making the application to the fi eld. FMC
asserted that this practice led to an unusually high concentration of carbofuran. However, a soil
sample analysis detected only 42 ppm carbofuran, a concentration well in the range of alfalfa sam-
ples following similar applications. It is unclear from the report how the birds had been exposed
although we can surmise that the hawks died from secondary poisoning.
8.4.4.2.12
June 2006, sunfl owers, Hugo, Colorado
In one dramatic incident, investigators found more than 2 200 birds poisoned by carbofuran
in Hugo, Colorado (US EPA 2006, Archuleta 2008). The deaths occurred following a broad-
cast application of fl owable carbofuran at 560 g ai/ha to a 95 acre no-till fi eld before sunfl owers
were planted. Investigators from the US Fish and Wildlife Service collected 40 birds the fi rst day
and additional birds on following days. Most of the carcasses collected were mourning doves
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