LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The county of Lake reported that the presence of a US EPA severely restricted pesticide has been confirmed at additional sites in the Lower Lake area.
County officials first issued a report on the pesticide sampling last week.
During searches conducted by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Lake County Sheriff’s Office of cannabis grow sites on private property on Sept. 18 and 21, samples of an unknown substance were obtained that were confirmed on Oct. 31 as a US EPA severely restricted pesticide.
There are now six sites with confirmed presence of the pesticide, the county reported.
Results for two of the sites came back on Oct. 31, which was the basis for the county’s first report last week.
Results for the other four sites came back on Nov. 7. Five of the sites also had presence of additional chemical pesticides, the county reported.
Officials said the known sites are in the Lower Lake area: three are off of Morgan Valley Road; two are off of Rocky Creek Road the other is on Spruce Grove Road south of Lower Lake.
Warning signs to avoid the areas will be posted at the entrances to the affected properties, according to the county.
The pesticide confirmed is Carbofuran, which is an organophospahate, a harmful pesticide to the public and the environment. A bird on one site was confirmed dead due to organophosphate poisoning. These chemicals can cause reproductive harm, acute poisoning, and have possible long-term effects.
Seek medical treatment if you believe you have been in contact with these chemicals or are experiencing the following symptoms: blurred vision, pinpoint pupils, tearing, excessive respiratory secretions; salivation; sweating; abdominal cramps, headache, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea; lightheadedness; chest tightness, epigastric pain, labored breathing; cyanosis; muscle twitching; incoordination; convulsions; unconsciousness; respiratory failure; skin irritation.
The county said it will continue to notify the public until the spill has been remediated.
If you have a shallow well in the area, consider filtering your water with a granular activated carbon filter and non-ionic polymeric resin filters. Individuals can Google NSF 42, 53, and 401 point-of-use or point-of-entry filters.
Contact the Lake County Health Department with questions at 707-263-1090. After hours, please dial 9 to be connected.
County issues update on discovery of restricted pesticide on private property
- Lake County News reports
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