| Alberni Environmental Coalition | On-Line Library |
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Subject: Pesticide Update II **** Provincial veterinarian Dr. Hugh Whitney was cited as saying that a pesticide known as fensulfothion was the likely cause of the death of hundreds of herring gulls and other birds in the St. John's area last week. This story explained that fensulfothion, or Dasanit, is an agricultural pesticide previously used by farmers for root maggot control but its use has been discontinued. Whitney was cited as saying that it is likely the pesticide had been disposed of at the Robin Hood Bay landfill site and the container busted open by equipment at the dump where the gulls got at it before it was covered in again. Whitney was further cited as saying that while the results are preliminary, they must be considered as a possible cause of the deaths of more than 700 gulls and a small number of crows and starlings. He was cited as saying that other causes such as botulism are still being considered and tissue samples from dead birds have been sent to the veterinarian college in Prince Edward Island for testing. |
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