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Bynum
Winery reports poisoning September
17, 2002 By
TIM TESCONI Agricultural
officials are investigating what could be Sonoma County's most
serious methyl bromide poisoning in 30 years, an apparent accident
that caused four people, including the owners and winemaker
at Healdsburg's Davis Bynum Winery, to become violently ill
and require emergency treatment. The
incident occurred Wednesday when methyl bromide, a highly toxic
fumigant used to rid soil of disease and pests, is suspected
of drifting from a vineyard site on Westside Road to neighboring
Davis Bynum Winery. Hampton
Bynum, vice president of the family-owned winery, his wife,
Ngamnit Bynum, winemaker David Georges and family friend Preeapron
Lindsay said they were overcome after being outside at the time
of the fumigation. All suffered dizziness, shortness of breath, fuzzy vision and drowsiness. Lindsay
received an injection to stop her from vomiting continuously.
All four spent most of Wednesday being treated at Healdsburg
GeneralHospital
and then returned home to recuperate. "It
was a horrible experience," Hampton Bynum, son of winery
founderDavis
Bynum, said Monday. "It's very alarming when you realize
a chemical like that can penetrate and disable you. It's taken
five days for me to feel that I'm back on track." Confirmation
of the cause will not come until an investigation is concluded
by the Sonoma County Agricultural Commissioner's Office. Williams-Selyem
Winery of Healdsburg owns the land that was being fumigated
in preparation for planting. Lloyd Vineyard Management of Geyserville
is developing the vineyard for Williams-Selyem and had contracted
the methyl bromide fumigation to Tri-Cal Inc., a Hollister-based
company that specializes in soil fumigation. "All
the conditions were ideal for fumigation. All safety regulations
were followed," Dave Esrock of Tri-Cal said Monday. Esrock
said there was no wind and that thorough testing indicated weather
conditions were right. Chris
Boland, viticulturist at Lloyd Vineyard Management, said it's
hard to understand how four people at Bynum Winery could be
affected when the four people performing the fumigation did
not get sick. Methyl
bromide, a colorless, odorless gas, is pumped into the ground,
which is covered with plastic to the keep the chemical escaping
from the air. Georges,
37, said he's worried about long-term health problems from exposure
to the chemical. He said he's having toxicological tests on
his kidneys and liver to determine whether they've been damaged.
"I
feel like I've been poisoned and it could have been avoided,"
he said. Most grape growers have abandoned methyl bromide because
of potential dangers to the environment, and Georges said there's
no reason to use it. County
Agricultural Commissioner John Westoby, whose office issues
permits for pesticide applications, said the use of methyl bromide
has declined dramatically over the past five years. Westoby
said that in 1996, county growers applied 428,000 pounds of
methyl bromide on 1,140 acres. In 2000, the most recent year
for available state figures, use of methyl bromide had dropped
to 132,000 pounds on 380 acres. Methyl
bromide is legal to use until 2005. The federal Environmental
Protection Agency is phasing out methyl bromide because it is
a known ozone-depleting substance. Westoby,
who is overseeing the investigation, said that in his 30 years
with the commissioner's office he can't recall a methyl bromide
poisoning case that involved so many people claiming illnesses.
"We
are waiting to see what information we get from the doctors'
reports," he said. The
state Department of Pesticide Regulation, a division of the
state Environmental Protection Agency, was immediately informed
of the incident. Glenn Brank, a department spokesman, said the
case has been classified a "priority investigation,"
with all state resources available to help Westoby in the inquiry.
By
num said he and the others were doing fine Monday but, like
Georges, he's worried about health problems in the future. Bynum
farms his vineyards organically, using no chemical pesticides
or synthetic fertilizers on his land. By
num believes the fumigant was carried by the wind to his property.
He said he will write a letter to the Department of Pesticide
Regulation asking for better controls on methyl bromide. "I
would like to see this stuff outlawed immediately," he
said. "We
don't know of any violations, and we have to assume everything
went according to regulations because Tri-Cal is a reputable
company," he said. You can reach Staff Writer Tim Tesconi at 521-5289 or ttesconi@pressdemocat.com.
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