Grain fumigant canisters washing up on Washington beaches

Washington Ag Today November 6, 2009 Among the items washed ashore on Washington beaches are metal canisters that once held aluminum phosphide, a potent fumigant used to control insects. Mike Louisell, spokesman for the Washington State Department of Agriculture says the pesticide is used to fumigate bulk grain shipments. Louisell: “It is a fumigation process that is required by the United States Department of Agriculture to ensure that no pests are being exported to our trading partners. There aren‘t may canisters that have been found on Washington beaches, about 65. However, that is enough that we wanted to work with Ecology on a public awareness campaign through the pesticide industry, the grain shipping industry and just the general public, to be made aware that they should be careful if they come across these metal canisters on beaches.” Louisell says it is difficult to say where the canisters are actually coming from as Washington, Oregon and British Columbia are all major grain exporters. Louisell: “It also could be that it is foreign ships coming into our ports and maybe they are doing fumigation out at sea in international waters. Maybe the fumigant canisters are coming off their ships and getting into the ocean. The main point is, whenever you use pesticides is to properly dispose the containers they were used in.” Photographs of the canisters can be found on the Department of Ecology website. I’m Bob Hoff on the Northwest Ag Information Network.