Earlimart pesticide victims bring appeal for change to top Tulare County officials

The Earlimart residents, who are mostly farm workers, will first present proposals to the county Board of Supervisors aimed at ensuring similar poisonings do not occur again.

Then they will hand over to the county agricultural commissioner more than 150 completed complaint forms from residents who suffered physical symptoms after metam sodium was applied by sprinklers to a nearby field. Symptoms include vomiting, diarrhea, dizziness, respiratory stress, rashes and headaches. Residents will offer two proposals to county officials.

* They will urge Tulare County to prohibit sprinkler application of the chemical. Buffer zones of one mile from structures are already required by agricultural commissioners in Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties following a May 19 metam sodium poisoning near New Cuyama that forced the three-day closure of an elementary school.

* Tulare County authorities will be asked to improve their responses to pesticide poisonings. It took 9 days after the Nov. 13 incident–and organized community pressure–before a county health team came to Earlimart to treat poisoning victims who could not afford medical care. Residents had to pressure the local health clinic to bill for services instead of demanding up-front payments to treat poisoning victims. Residents exposed to the pesticide were also required to strip and be hosed down with cold water in front of news photographers.

Who: Two dozen Earlimart residents poisoned by the pesticide metam sodium and top Tulare County officials.

What: Presenting more than 150 complaint forms from poisoning victims and urging reforms to avoid future incidents.

When: 10 a.m. press briefing followed by a meeting at the Board of Supervisors; followed by presentation to the county agricultural commissioner.

Where: Tulare County Adm. Bldg., 2800 W. Burrel Ave., Visalia.

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