NEW AT SIX...
PESTICIDES ON FARMS IN MONTEREY
COUNTY MAY BE TO BLAME FOR
MAKING MORE THAN A DOZEN WORKERS
SICK. KPIX-5'S NEDA IRANPOUR
SHOWS US WHAT HAPPENED.
18 FIELD WORKERS WERE POSSIBLY
EXPOSED TO CHEMICALS FROM
PESTICIDES, WHILE WORKING IN A
FIELD IN SALINAS.
AND NOW AGRICULTURE GIANT,
TANIMURA AND ANTLE NOW THE FOCUS
OF A STATE AND LOCAL PROBE.
Jeremy Hadland/ Registered
Nurse, Salinas Valley Memorial
Hospital: "Some of the systems
these
folks were complaining of were
dizziness, nausea, vomiting, and
abdominal pain."
THE FIELD WORKERS WERE PLANTING
CELERY AND ABOUT AN HOUR INTO
THE JOB, THEY STARTED FEELING
SICK, ONE EVEN STARTED VOMITING.
BUSES RUSHED THE WORKERS TO THE
HOSPITAL WHERE MEDICAL
PROFESSIONALS TREATED THIS AS A
MASS CASUALTY INCIDENT. ALL
EMPLOYEES WERE STRIPPED DOWN AND
SHOWERED. "We treated some of
them with
medication as needed and after
we were confident the vital
signs were stable and that their
systems had resolved we were
able to begin discharging them
from the hospital." A
SPOKESWOMAN FOR THE TANIMURA AND
ANTLE SAID ALL EMPLOYEES BUT ONE
WERE BACK ON THE JOB THE NEXT
DAY THE QUESTION NOW IS? WHAT
GOT THEM SICK.
INVESTIGATORS SAY PESTICIDES
WERE APPLIED ACROSS NEARBY
FIELDS THE NIGHT BEFORE.
WITH LANNATE BEING ONE OF 8
DIFFERENT CHEMICALS USED,
LANNATE IS CONSIDERED DANGEROUS
FOR HUMANS. SO THEY MAY HAVE
GOTTEN SICK FROM LINGERING
CHEMICALS IN THE AIR.
###
TAG: INVESTIGATORS SAY, SO FAR,
IT DOESN'T APPEAR ANY RULES WERE
VIOLATED, BUT SINCE 18 WORKERS
GOT SICK, THEY'RE TREATING THIS
AS A PRIORITY AND THE CASE WILL
MAKE ITS WAY UP TO THE E.P.A.
NEDA IRANPOUR KPIX-5.
COMING UP NEXT.
THE TERRIFYING MOMENTS FOR ONE
TEEN.
FIND OUT HOW SHE ENDED UP
DANGLING FROM A RIDE AT A SIX
FLAGS THEME PARK.
PLUS.
COMING UP NEXT.
