New analyses confirm the necessity of decontamination

The samples were tested in the laboratory of ALS Laboratory Group. The analyses proved the highest exceeding of the limit C in the samples in the case of fenson (2), concentrations of which were five-times higher than set by the limit C for industrial areas. Very high concentrations persist also in the cases of atrazine (3), simazine (4), nitrophen (5) and the total sum of DDT including its metabolites (6), and MCPA (7). „This time, we commissioned testing of a broader spectrum of pesticides than before in the case of one of the taken samples. It turned out that more hazardous substances than detected by previous measurements are present in plasters and samples swept from floors of the former pesticide storage ,“ Petrlík explained.

Arnika commissioned the new measurements because the last sampling and measurements of the pesticide contents in the storage itself took place four years ago. „An argument was stated repeatedly that the contamination was decreasing and that the measurements on which Arnika and my family based our arguments were old during negotiations with authorities. However, as can be seen from the new measurements, this is obviously a problem which will not be solved by its own accord even over years,“ Mr. Václav Rychtařík, owner of the contaminated buildings said. The fact that the case does not concern only the buildings themselves any more was confirmed by measurements and expert opinions commissioned by the Arnika Association in the last year. High pesticide residues levels were found in fish from the Drnový brook and subsequent analyses of sediments from the brook showed that the source of pollution is just the Václav Rychtařík's obsolete pesticide storage (9).

The Rychtařík family received the storage in restitution. The family has been struggling several years already with the fact that it was returned in the condition polluted by pesticides, the majority of which is banned today already, by the Agropodnik Klatovy, a.s. (now, Proagro) company and by the state.

Notes:

(1) Limit C (for residential, industrial or versatile use of the territory) set by the Methodical Instruction of the Ministry of Environment of the Czech Republic of 1996 was in some of the samples exceeded in the case of the following pesticide substances: Exceeding of limits C represents pollution which could mean significant risk of endangering of human health and environmental components, and requires preventive intervention, i.e., decontamination of the contaminated site.

Table summarising measurement results. Values exceeding some of the limits C are given in bold type. The contaminated house is located in residential area.

n.m. = not measured

(2) Fenson is a pesticide which was used against mites. It belongs into the same pesticide groups as DDT, although it does not seem to be comparably dangerous substance at present. As of 2002, its registration in the EU was cancelled. According to tests on animals, it can cause histological changes in the liver and kidneys in the case of longterm exposure. Effects on humans were not determined. For further information on fenson please see here.

(3) Use of atrazine is banned since August 1, 2005, on the basis of the European Commission decision 2004/248/EC. This substance broadly contaminated in particular water in the Czech Republic. It was used, in particular, for treatment of maize against weed. Atrazine is a human endocrine disruptor, it is potentially carcinogenic (higher percentage of prostate cancer was found in the case of workers handling this pesticide). It can have negative impact on human reproductive system. A study carried out in Missouri state in 2003 confirmed the scientific hypothesis that atrazine belongs into the group of pesticides connected with reduced sperm quality of men. For further information on atrazine please see the following internet page: https://arnika.org/atrazin

(4) Simazine (6-chloro-N,N'-diethyl-1,3,5-triazin-2,4-diamine) was used for treatment of plants (potatoes, lucerne, orchards, vineyards, hop-fields, gooseberries, raspberries, blackberries, strawberries, decorative woody species and plants) together with the preparation Gesatop 90 WG(H). Validity of registration of this preparation expired, and it is allowed to use it until the existing stocks are consumed. Changes in the kidneys were found in rats when low doses of simazine were administered. It is rather toxic for water organisms. Carcinogenic effects of simazine cannot be easily assessed, because experimental results obtained in tests on laboratory animals differ highly. For further information on this substance please see: https://arnika.org/simazin

(5) Nitrophen is a human endocrine disruptor, and it is ranked among substances possibly carcinogenic to humans (group 2B according to IARC classification). Studies carried out on mice and rats proved negative effects on unborn fetuses (teratogenic effects), whereas this was not found in the case of rabbits. Long-term effects of nitrophen caused liver expansion in tests carried out on dogs. This substance is toxic for fish. Relatively low number of studies focused on its effects on man so far, and, because of that, they are not fully investigated yet. For further information on this substance please see: https://arnika.org/nitrofen

(6) DDT (dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane) - insecticide broadly used in the past. It was manufactured, among others, also in Spolana Neratovice. Use of DDT in the former Czechoslovakia was banned from 1974, however, it was used for several further years, for example against lice, and high stocks of this substance remained in pesticide storages. Values measured in Klatovy - Luby indicate that this substance was obviously stored also there. DDT is a possible human carcinogen. It is harmful to the liver and it can cause cancer. It causes temporary damage of the nervous system. It damages the reproductive system. DDT is on the list of substances banned by the Stockholm Convention which was ratified also by the Czech Republic. It was found that DDT decomposes very slowly in the environment, and, moreover, to substances (metabolites DDD and DDE) which are comparably harmful to human health as the pesticide itself. For more information please see: https://arnika.org/toxicke-latky/databaze-latek/dichlordifenyltrichloretan-ddt

(7) MCPA or (4-chloro-2-methylphenoxy)acetic acid  is a systemic hormone of the type of selective herbicide. It is quickly absorbed into roots and leaves. It is used against weeds in cereal crops, hop-fields and grass communities. It persists up to 6 months in dry soil. Feeding by feeds containing MCPA is harmful to health condition of piglets, although the sows themselves do not show symptoms of poisoning. It is a moderately toxic pesticide for fish, but it is toxic for bees. MCPA is not accumulated more markedly in animal organisms. The basis of its toxic effects resides in inhibition of oxidative processes, and also in disconnecting of the processes of oxidation and phosphorylation. A consequence of this is disruption of utilisation of energy by muscle tissues and of energy metabolism in general. Toxic doses damage the thyroid gland and decrease the basal metabolism. It is an endocrine disruptor. It disrupts natural development of populations of soil organisms. It was classified as potentially carcinogenic. Moreover, certain tests show that this substance can have harmful effect on the human reproductive system, too. For more information on this substance please see: https://arnika.org/toxicke-latky/databaze-latek/kyselina-4-chlor-2-methylfenoxyoctova-mcpa

(8) Results of analyses of sediment samples for contents of DDT and its metabolites in comparison with analyses carried out in the Drnový brook under Klatovy by the company Povodí Vltavy (Vltava River Basin).

Used abbreviations: o,p‘- optionally p,p‘-DDD, DDE and DDT - abbreviations for metabolites of the pesticide DDT (dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane).

For more information on the case please click here.