Company fined by EPA for spraying pesticide on a Decorah field

A Mississippi company has agreed to pay a $4,082 civil penalty to the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency for spraying a liquid pesticide on 120 acres of corn in a field owned by Jeff Sanderman of Decorah.

The incident occurred on August 12th, 2009, and involved the pesticide drifting to the Trout Run Trail, causing several trail users, including at least five members of the Decorah High School cross country running team, to complain of skin and eye irritation.

Custom Air, LLC, of Louisville, Miss., was hired to spray Quilt fungicide on the field.  An administrative consent agreement and final order filed by EPA Region 7 in Kansas City, Kansas states that several people who were on the trail on the day of the field application later told a state investigator that they had been sprayed multiple times by a helicopter flying overhead near the field.  The students reported various symptoms, including burning or stinging eyes, worsened allergies, and a bad taste in the mouth.  None of the runners sought medical attention.

An investigation by the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship confirmed that samples of vegetation taken along the trail adjacent to Sanderman's field were contaminated with residue from Quilt fungicide.  The investigation also confirmed that weather conditions near Decorah on the day of the application by Custom Air, LLC, were conducive to pesticide drift.

The Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) prohibits the aerial application of registered pesticides such as Quilt in ways that will result in human contact, either directly or through drifting. EPA-approved product labeling for Quilt notes that the pesticide can cause substantial but temporary eye injury and is harmful if swallowed.