Horded Fenthion used extensively on horse farm to kill birds sickens employee

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Subject:    Fenthion Exposure
Date:         Mon, 2 Sep 2002 18:18:08 EDT
From:         Hammbone42@aol.com

My name is Steve Hamm. I believe i just wrote you for info. on fenthion.After reading this article i would like to add to previous comments. I paint for a horse farm in KY.It is owned by Frank Stronach of Canada. He owns several racetracks and breeding farms. Also Magna Enterprise and Magna Entertainment. In KY. the industry is political and my efforts to get Ag. dept. or E.P.A. has been useless. A man from Davis  ILL. bought all the fenthion he could when Bayer pulled it around 1987.He has been mixing it with grease to contain the chemical and applies it virtually everywhere in and out of the horse barns. Management from day 1 has denied any wrongdoing stating it was Scott Buck from ILL. that is the bad guy.  OSHA. has fined the farm and cited it for the above.  My problem is health and after gettig weaker and weaker i went on workers comp. I have been away from further exposure and in 3 weeks! my lowest level has went up 500 points from around 4800 to  5300. I feel better at times but still have abnormal shaking and twitching my hands and legs feet ect. go numb with pins and needles. I feel this should be considered a criminal act especially with the man who applies this and even when the farm had knowledge which i have proof they still failed to warn us as employees or humans. Can you help me? This poison is on many horse farms and is kiiling birds daily even our state bird the cardinal. 

I was losing my mind.  After many times of asking other managers of the farm they assure! d me that it only hurt birds and fish.  They further implied that the workers on the farm were at no risk of the bird kill.  I then had a blood test taken and the results were negative no fenthion in my blood.  I continued to work and in July 2002 after management assuring that the bird kill was only up high where I would not be painting.  I began to paint another barn on the farm.  About two weeks into the job I again was having the same symptoms as in May; however they had took on a stronger effect on my body.  I then went to my doctor and he spoke with the Poison control center and read my previous blood test results.  I was then informed that they had not checked for the Poison correctly.  It immediately leaves the blood stream and is stored in the fat tissues.  I then had the correct test ran on my blood. I apologize for any misleading I gave to originally I just got the documents out and am now going to give you the correct! info.  My pserdocholenesterase level was at the time of the test ing 4,868.  The normal level is between 4100 - 9900.  My cholenesterase, RBC was 8,844.  The normal level is between 8383-13584.  As you can see they are on the low end of normal.  After a series of specialist visits and three weeks later I again had my RBC count ran it was as the following: it had moved up to 9371.  Due to miscommunications on the prescription they failed to run pseudocholenesterase test.  I am scheduled to be retested the 3rd week of September of 2002.  Thank you for your cooperation in this matter.  If you have further question please e-mail me.  I will get back with you in a timely fashion.  

Sincerely,  Steve Hamm

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To Whom It May Concern,
Thank you for your speedily response. I have no problems with you doing a s you wish with the information I forwarded to you.   The fenthion that I was exposed to was a 45% mixture. When it was pulled in the late 80's it was at 20% mixture. O.S.H.A. took a thumbnail sample and had it analyzed and it contains 5.86 parts per million. This is after one year of sitting in different climate changes. However my worst exposure was in May, in a barn that had a fresh dose of bird kill applied in late March. My concern is that this will just blow over seeing they were directed to the first barn where the weakest and the first application of the bird kill was applied. Thank you for any help you can be. I am still employed by Adena Springs Horse Farm in the Kentucky division. We have a farm in Canada and Florida. Again thank you. If I can provide you with any info that might help in this matte! r please feel free to e-mail me at any point. 

Sincerely,
Steve Hamm 

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