WINNIPEG – Saskatchewan Wheat Pool will giving farmers who buy a pesticide used to kill rusty grain beetles some extra tips after an elevator worker became ill from inhaling the chemical.
Gull Lake elevator agent Pat Charbonneau confirmed that last week a farmer delivered a load of grain to the elevator. The farmer informed workers that it had been treated with phostoxin, but said he had observed a two-week waiting period before hauling the grain.
When the grain was elevated, a repairman working upstairs smelled an odor similar to garlic. He returned to the main part of the elevator and vomited. He did not become seriously ill.
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Percy Crossman, manager of asset protection services at SWP, said that he hears about at least 10 similar incidents each year. The company is handling out information sheets to farmers who buy the chemical to reinforce the message on the label.
“You’re talking about a product that can do central nerve damage and things like that if not handled properly,” Crossman said, adding that farmers are often in a rush to haul their grain and will sometimes try to take short cuts.
“We’re hoping that people take some ownership, or at least realize how much danger they’re putting their elevator manager in by bringing the (grain) in in that condition.”
Phostoxin reacts with moisture to create a gas that kills beetles. Grain has to be at least 5 C before the chemical will start its reaction. And, it can take a few hours once applied to form the gas.
Crossman said that when elevator workers can tell by the odor that phostoxin has been applied incorrectly, they will turn the truck away. But sometimes, they don’t realize until it’s too late.
Moisture produces gas
“What happens is that as soon as you … dump it into the pit at the grain elevator, it becomes very exposed to … the moisture in the air, and starts to gas off.”
Safety managers at other major grain companies agreed that phostoxin is one of the more dangerous chemicals used in elevators.
“It’s a killing gas,” said Peter Kroli of Alberta Wheat Pool. “It will kill people just as it will kill bugs if the concentration is too high. There’s no question that it needs to be handled safely.”
All major grain companies have strict procedures set out in operations manuals about how to apply the pesticide.
Alberta Wheat Pool and Cargill have internal permit systems: Elevators have to have a permit from regional headquarters to fumigate. AWP and Pioneer Grain allow only trained employees to apply the pesticide. Some grain companies have stopped selling the chemical to farmers.
The three prairie pools and the Winnipeg Research Centre have been working on finding an alternative to phostoxin.
