On this page:
- What to Do During a Drift Incident
- Report Drift Each and Every Time it Happens
- Record Everything
- Be Persistent!
- Organize
- If You Live in California
- Resources
What to Do During a Drift Incident
If pesticides drift onto you or your neighbors, you should do the following:
- Evacuate the area, warn your neighbors and seek medical attention. Make sure that you and your neighbors leave the area and that anyone who is feeling sick seeks medical attention. Call Poison Control if necessary at 1-800-222-1222. If you are sick, leave the area immediately and then try to contact your neighbors by phone. Close all windows and doors in your home.
- If you were hit with spray drift (droplets or dust particles) and it contacted your skin, shower as soon after exposure as you can. If your clothes were directly hit by spray, place them in a sealed container or bag for possible testing. Otherwise, be sure to wash contaminated clothing separately.
- If you experience any of the symptoms of pesticide exposure, go see a doctor immediately. Many doctors are not familiar with symptoms of pesticide poisoning and may think that you have a cold or the flu. Be persistent and tell them that you were exposed to pesticides and these may be symptoms of pesticide poisoning. Remind the doctor that any pesticide illnesses, even suspected pesticide illnesses, must be reported to state authorities in most states. For specific information on reporting requirements in each state, see PANNA's PesticideInfo Pesticide Poisoning Diagnostic Tool.
- Call for help. Once you are in a safe location, notify the appropriate authorities of the incident. If you feel that your life is in danger, call 911. Call the local agency in charge of pesticide enforcement in your area (the County Extension Agent, County Agricultural Commissioner, County Department of Agriculture are a few of the names used for these offices) and if they are closed, call your local Sheriff non-emergency dispatch number. Be aware that many agencies don't really know what to do in the event of a pesticide drift incident and may or may not respond appropriately.
- Request air and residue monitoring from the authorities. Air monitoring must be started as soon as possible to document inhalation exposures. Some pesticides are gases and will leave no residue, so in order to document drift, monitoring must start as soon as possible. Other pesticides leave residues from spray drift that will last for several days, but even residue sampling should be carried out as soon as possible after the incident.
Report Drift Each and Every Time it Happens
Call the person in charge of pesticide enforcement in your local area and report the incident. Each state is different, but the County Extension Agent, County Agricultural Commissioner, County Department of Agriculture are a few of the types of agencies that are responsible for pesticide enforcement. Look in the Government pages in your phone book, if you don't know who is in charge. If drift is occurring but is not directly affecting you, you should still report it to the authorities. Provide as many details as possible, including time and location of incident, environmental conditions (wind, rain, etc.), presence of people or residences in the area. Ask for a formal investigation and pesticide sampling on affected properties. Make sure to leave your contact information with them so that they can get back in touch with you.
Record Everything
Write down all of the details of the exposure before you forget anything, including:
- Time and date of the incident.
- What happened that led to the exposure
- Location of the application site and neighboring buildings. You can use Google Maps to get a map of the area, then mark the site of the incident and other buildings in the area.
- Weather, wind speed and direction, and temperature.
- Symptoms you and others experienced.
- How many people were affected and where they live relative to the application site.
- Take photos or videos of drift (if possible without endangering yourself), powder residue or rashes.
Record all details of your communication with agencies, including names of people you speak with, dates and times. Keep all correspondence you have with agencies, as well as any photos or videos you may have. If the local enforcement office is closed, call the county sheriff non-emergency dispatch who have access to those in charge after hours. If you are uncomfortable calling these agencies, call local community organizations for assistance.
Be Persistent!
Be aware that it can often be an uphill battle to get the regulatory agencies in charge of enforcement to acknowledge that you have a problem. It is easiest for them if they just wait it out and you get discouraged and go away. But stick with it!! You will make the most progress if you have fully documented the incident and have medical reports of people injured from the incident. Having multiple people follow up with the authorities is helpful--a typical tactic on the part of the agency staff is to brand you as "crazy" or "paranoid". If necessary, call the media to report the incident and let them know what responses you have gotten from agencies. Call local community environmental or health organizations for assistance. Continue to document everything you do and observe, and keep copies of any correspondence sent or received. If you are not getting results in a reasonable amount of time (a week or two), go up the chain of command. Find out who the boss is at the agency and who his or her boss is too. Don't be afraid to call the boss's boss.
Organize
If you've had enough of being drifted on, consider starting a local group to work for change in policies to eliminate drift. Check out PANNA's Fight Pesticide Drift! page for more information.
If You Live in California
For complete steps on how to recognize and respond to pesticide drift incidents in California, see Californians for Pesticide Reform's Community Action Guide.