Suit blames Lodi company for additional pesticide drift incidents Helicopter company has ties to 2014 drift case at Bouldin Island
The Lodi-based helicopter company connected to the Bouldin Island pesticide drift in 2014 that caused at least five people to report health problems and reportedly damaged an unknown number of crops is now accused of causing three more drifts in the area.
The state attorney general’s office filed suit against Alpine Helicopter Service, Inc. in San Joaquin County Superior Court on Friday for three incidents that occurred in the last year.
According to the complaint, the company was spraying pesticide on a pumpkin field directly west of the Stockton Sports Complex the morning of Sept. 7, 2019, while children were playing soccer.
Winds that morning were blowing southeast at speeds of up to 17 miles an hour, and pesticide drifted into the complex as families were attending youth soccer games between 7 a.m. and 9 a.m.
The pesticide, Luna Sensation, is labeled with a warning that the chemical is harmful if swallowed, absorbed through skin or inhaled, and
that it should not be applied when conditions are windy.
Investigators found an active ingredient in the pesticide on a tree in the complex parking lot, and a fallow field between the complex and pumpkin field, the complaint states.
Ten days later, the company sprayed the pumpkin field again while winds were blowing from the pumpkin field toward the complex at 7 to 9 miles an hour, the complaint states.
The pesticide, called Fulfill, drifted onto a vehicle in the complex parking lot, the complaint states, and investigators found an ingredient on the windshield.
Labels for the pesticide state it is harmful if absorbed through the skin, and that applicators should not allow spray to drift onto adjacent land or crops, the complaint states.
On July 4, the company applied the pesticide Zeal to a corn field near Isleton, which drifted to a nearby property and onto the arms, face and chest of a woman.
It is believed the woman’s dog, goats, poultry, rabbits and vegetable garden were sprayed during the application. An active ingredient in Zeal was taken from the woman’s straw hat, the complaint states.
The chemical’s label states that it causes mild eye irritation, and should not be applied in a way that will contact workers or other persons.
“Time and time again, Alpine Helicopter Service and its pilots knowingly endangered the health and safety of innocent communities during the aerial application of hazardous pesticides,” Attorney General Xavier Becerra said in a media statement. “Who would choose to run their business with such callous disregard for the safety of our children and families nearby? Our health and safety laws are serious business. So, too, should be the consequences for violating them.”
Alpine Helicopter Service has six prior allegations of improperly applying pesticide in the county between 2013 and 2017, three of which are currently pending in court.
In May of 2014, the company applied herbicide to an area on or around Bouldin Island to the east of Lodi to remove 4,467 acres of vegetation, which reportedly resulted in 139 separate reports of crop loss as far away as 39 miles from the target area. In addition, at least five people reported health symptoms from exposure to the chemical, the complaint states. As much as 25,000 acres in and around Lodi may have been affected by the drift, www.wineindustry.com
reported at the time. In April of 2017, the company was spraying multiple chemicals on a walnut orchard at Jack Tone and Live Oak roads in Lodi, and the pesticides being used reportedly drifted to nearby Turner Academy. The complaint states droplets were deposited into the school, including the playground, picnic tables, parking lot and roof.
The chemicals used can cause irreversible eye damage, skin problems and can be absorbed through the skin, the complaint states.
The Bouldin Island suit is scheduled for a jury trial in February of 2021, and the Turner Academy suit is scheduled for a case management hearing in March 2021.