TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Worried they may have been poisoned by a pesticide used on strawberry fields, some 63 people in Hillsborough County families have told state officials about their concerns.
If toxicologists with the Florida Department of Health do find evidence of pesticide poisoning, it will be up to the federal Environmental Protection Agency to determine what to do with the information. The EPA is responsible for determining how restricted chemicals can be applied and whether they are a risk to human health or the environment.
The Tampa Tribune (http://bit.ly/11lFxdg) reports that about 10 percent of the 100 or so strawberry growers in the area used the sulfur-based pesticide Paladin to fumigate their fields in preparation for strawberry planting. Some believe the pesticide is at the root of their health issues.
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