Title: Australian farmer dies from toxic weedkiller

[The Courier-Mail 16 Nov, 2012 by Kate McKenna] -- THE heartbroken family of a farmer who died after being sprayed by a highly toxic weedkiller has described the man as a "gentle giant" who adored spending time with his five grandchildren. Howard Reck, 55, of Lynford in the Darling Downs, was spraying weeds on his property on Monday when the 8L pressure pump unit filled with paraquat released, spraying the poisonous chemical into his mouth and coating his face and chest. The veteran farmer drove himself 400m to a neighbouring property in a frantic dash for help. A family friend then dragged Mr Reck out of the ute and began hosing him down in a bid to wash out the poison before the ambulance arrived, his family said. Mr Reck died in Brisbane's Princess Alexandra Hospital on Tuesday. Paraquat is one of the most widely used pesticides in the world. It is used to control weeds, but as little as one teaspoonful of the active ingredient is fatal. Dr Roberto Busi from the Australian Herbicide Resistance Initiative said paraquat was widely used in agricultural farming because it was a "pre-plant knockdown" that killed all weeds, either before planting the crop or after the harvest. But the tragedy has reignited concern over Australia's regulation of highly toxic herbicides. Paraquat has courted controversy because health experts say there is no antidote, with reported links to the development of Parkinson's disease. It has been banned in 32 countries, including Finland, Sweden and China. [Photo: FAMILY DEVASTATED: Howard Reck died after exposure to the pesticide paraquat. Source: Supplied]

Mr Reck had been married to Patricia for 30 years, with two daughters, Breeana and Nadine, and a son, also Trent. Mr Nibbs described his father-in-law as a "gentle giant" who enjoyed fishing, but loved his family most of all. "He just loved spending time with his grandkids - they were his number one joy," he said. "Howard was the kind of bloke who would do anything for you. He had helped out many farmers in the area, as they had helped out him too. He will be very deeply missed by everyone in the area." Mr Nibbs said he had no idea how dangerous the herbicide was until the family were given the terrible news by the toxicologist. "Perhaps the herbicide should come with better safety measures, like a breathing apparatus?" he said. Trent Nibbs, husband of Mr Reck's daughter, Breeana, said the family was devastated. "Howard had been born on a farm and lived on them all his life. He had always sprayed chemicals, but nothing like this has ever happened," he said. "His brother Ashley was on the farm at the time (he was sprayed), but Howard's wife was in Ipswich ... so Ashley rang Patricia and told her they were transporting him to the hospital and she went straight there. "The family is struggling." As [paraquat) is listed as a Schedule 7 Dangerous Poison, special regulations restrict its availability, possession, storage and use. It is only available to trained users and is not supplied for home or garden use.Syngenta, the world's largest producer of paraquat, did not respond to emails from The Courier-Mail.

Original source



Article: WeedsNews4053 (permalink)
Categories: :WeedsNews:health, :WeedsNews:herbicides
Date: 22 November 2012; 7:09:11 am Australian Eastern Daylight Time

Author Name: David Low
Author ID: adminDavid