Product: SULFER
Active ingredient: 100% SULFUR
Type: Non systemic FUNGICIDE with secondary acaricidal (mite) activity.
Mode of Action: a contact poison
Sulfur is the #1 pesticide by volume in California agriculture and #1 used in wine grape production. 70% of it is applied to grapes. Sulfur was the #1 cause of pesticide related illness in California Agriculture from 1984 -1990. Sulfer is an element and is allowed for use in organic grape growing, thus almost every grape grower uses it. The potential for negative effects due to excessive use of a relatively benign chemical as sulfur illustrates the critical importance of using any pest control material with caution and restraint.
TOXICOLOGY
Sulfur can cause irritation of the skin and eyes and if inhaled cause inflamation in the nasal mucosa, lung irritation and occasional bloody mucous secretions, disorders which usually clear up within days of removal from exposure. Broncho pulmonary disease may occur which, after exposure over several years, may be complicated by emphysema and broncheitasis (EXTOXNET 1995).
According to medical researchers at the California Department of Pesticide Regulation, sulfur can drift off site in quantities that potentially exacerbate asthma or lung irritation. Research investigating sulfur as a cause of allergic dermatitis in nursery workers revealed an allergic sensitivity in as many as 10% of the workers sampled. This high frequency of allergic response was unexpected. The study was not designed to evaluate the chemical transformation of sulfur once in contact with human skin. Elemental sulfur is chemically transformed in the environment into sulfites which are known to be allergenic to approximately 1 1/2% of the population. Further research is needed to determine if elemental sulfur causes skin and lung reactions, or if sulfites as transformation products are implicated. Potentially both chemicals could be involved (O'Malley 1996).
As early as 1977 a study investigating the potential for various agricultural chemicals to cause dermatitis found sulfur and lime sulfur to be moderate to high sensitizer [cause allergies]. When sulfur powder or lime sulfur was combined with the fungicide thiophanate methyl, a greater reaction than either chemical alone was observed suggesting that synergism with other chemicals may enhance the toxicity of sulfur (Matsushita 1977). Sulfur is not known to mutations, tumors or birth defects.
ENVIRONMENTAL FATE AND EFFECTS
Sulfur dumped into the Russian River in 1997 was dismissed by officials as not damaging to the environment. But excess sulfur in water may lead to increased acidity, perhaps to a degree high enough to damage beneficial aquatic organisms. Excessive use of sulfur may be impacting air quality although few, if any, studies have been done. |
