IOWA DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES Sept. 6, 2007For immediate release 1. Lab results indicate pesticide at fault in Shelby County FishKill2. Iowa air monitors record multiple exceedances of healthstandards LAB RESULTS INDICATE PESTICIDE AT FAULT IN SHELBY COUNTY FISH KILL MEDIA CONTACT: Alison Manz or Dan Stipe at (712) 243-1934. HARLAN -Test results indicate that a pesticide was the cause of a fishkill that occurred Aug. 15 at Little Lake George in Harlan. Water samples collected from this lake during the investigation showlevels of chlorpyrifos, an insecticide, at approximately 50 times thetoxic level for aquatic life. In four water samples taken at differentlocations, the concentrations were 4.6, 4.3, 3.2 and 0.62 parts perbillion. Chlorpyrifos is toxic to fish and other aquatic life at aconcentration of 0.083 ppb. Marketed for agricultural and household use, this pesticide is used tocontrol insect pests on row crops and golf courses. It’s also used asa wood treatment and to kill mosquitoes. Tradenames for chlorpyrifosinclude Brodan, Detmol UA, Dowco 179, Dursban, Empire, Eradex, Lorsban,Paqeant, Piridane, Scout and Stipend. It’s also sold under a number ofgeneric names. Chemical residues in drinking water or food are not a concern, but areextremely toxic to fish and to the aquatic insects like dragonfly larvaethat fish feed upon. The DNR is continuing to investigate several potential sources of thechemical that caused the fish kill. “It’s also uncertain how the chemical reached the lake, althoughseveral possibilities are under investigation,” said Alison Manz, anenvironmental specialist at the Atlantic DNR field office. “This justhighlights how important it is for people to store and apply hazardouschemicals correctly to prevent them from reaching storm sewers or otherwaterways. If they are applying lawn or crop chemicals, it’s vital that theyfollow the instructions on the pesticide label, she said. “Many people don’t realize that when they pour something down astorm drain on their city street, it goes straight to a nearby stream orlake,” Manz added. It doesn’t hurt to leave a buffer of grass around crop fields, watchweather conditions and avoid applying chemicals before a storm. Levels of several herbicides were somewhat elevated in the lake,including atrazine, metolachlor and acetochlor. But they have been ruledout as a cause of the fish kill. The DNR’s water monitoring and fisheries bureaus are consideringongoing monitoring to ensure that chemical levels have dropped. A DNR fisheries survey on Aug. 31 following the kill found two livebass but no crappie or bluegill. “Although the kill is believed to have been caused by chlorpyrifos,the fish remaining in the lake should be safe to eat,” said JohnOlson, water quality specialist with the DNR. “Chlorpyrifos breaks down relatively rapidly in the environment,”he added. “And, based on toxicology reports for chlorpyrifos, thepresence of this chemical in Little Lake George should not present arisk or threat to the health of those who eat fish from this lake.” The kill claimed an estimated 922 fish, including 710 crappie, 198bluegill, seven bullheads and seven green sunfish. Writer: Karen Grimes # # # IOWA AIR MONITORS RECORD MULTIPLE EXCEEDANCES OF HEALTH STANDARDS MEDIA CONTACT: Mindy Kralicek (515) 281-7832, or Sean Fitzsimmons(515) 281-8923. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources Air Quality Bureau reportedits monitors recorded exceedances of National Ambient Air QualityStandards (NAAQS) for pollutants 19 times from Jan. 1 through July 31,2007. NAAQS are set by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) forseven pollutants considered harmful to public health and theenvironment. The most common culprit was fine particulate matter (PM2.5).Exceedances of EPA’s PM2.5 standard were monitored in Muscatine seventimes; Clinton three times; Davenport three times, and in CouncilBluffs, Sioux City and Iowa City each one time. For the pollutant levelsrecorded, EPA indicates that individuals with respiratory or heartdisease as well as the elderly and children are the groups most at risk,with increasing likelihood of respiratory symptoms in sensitiveindividuals, aggravation of heart or lung disease and prematuremortality in persons with cardiopulmonary disease and the elderly. High levels of fine particles usually occur under meteorologicalconditions where air is stagnant over a multi-state region, trappingdirect fine particle emissions from combustion sources. More fineparticles are added when common airborne pollutants react withsunlight. The ozone standard was exceeded one time each in Waverly (north ofWaterloo) and Pisgah (north of Council Bluffs). The standard for coarseparticulate matter or PM10 (particulate matter less than 10 microns indiameter) was exceeded once in Mason City. The full report can be accessed atwww.iowadnr.com/air/prof/monitor/monitor.html. Writer: Mindy Kralicek- 30 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To unsubscribe from the IOWA-TOPICS list, send any message to: [log in to unmask] Check out our Listserv Lists support site for more information: http://www.sierraclub.org/lists/faq.asp