Incident Report

Subform I: General Information

1. Report Type.

New incident report

Incident Report Number: 2017-0446

2. Registrant Information.

Registrant Reference Number: X

Registrant Name (Full Legal Name no abbreviations): X

Address: X

City: X

Prov / State: X

Country: X

Postal Code: X

3. Select the appropriate subform(s) for the incident.

Human

4. Date registrant was first informed of the incident.

5. Location of incident.

Country: CANADA

Prov / State: ONTARIO

6. Date incident was first observed.

Unknown

Product Description

7. a) Provide the active ingredient and, if available, the registration number and product name (include all tank mixes). If the product is not registered provide a submission number.

Active(s)

---

PMRA Registration No. 21053      PMRA Submission No.       EPA Registration No.

Product Name: GARLON 4 HERBICIDE

• Active Ingredient(s)
  • TRICLOPYR, PRESENT AS BUTOXYETHYL ESTER

---

7. b) Type of formulation.

Application Information

8. Product was applied?

Yes

9. Application Rate.

Unknown

10. Site pesticide was applied to (select all that apply).

Site: Pub. Area - Outdoor/Zone publique - ext

11. Provide any additional information regarding application (how it was applied, amount applied, the size of the area treated etc).

Location of recent exposures: (in the middle of 2,000 acres of forest). Hydro has granted me a buffer zone of 5km, and a notification zone of 20 km. They apply herbicides to the trees and shrubs along both their transmission lines and their distribution lines. In 2013, Hydro applied Garlon on two transmission lines near my home. One transmission line traveled NE, E, SE and S of us. The other transmission line traveled NW, W, SW, and S of us. Consequently the only safe wind direction was the one coming directly from the north. The herbicide application lasted from near the end of April till the end of August. Once Hydro started its herbicide application, the outside air was contaminated with Garlon 4 vapours until the weather turned cold in the fall. During that entire time, I lived under house arrest. This means that I will no longer go outdoors until the weather turns cold and the pesticide can no longer vapourize. I will only go outdoors when the outside air quality has returned to being good and it is free from pesticide vapour. The wind direction and the wind speed are continually monitored, from the time of application till the weather turns cold in the fall. Also, the doors and windows are kept closed at all times - except for the times someone is entering or exiting the home. An intercom system is set up at the door, and no one opens the door until I am away from the door and in another room. The air purifiers are turned on and will run continuously 24/7 until the weather turns cold. Although we cannot smell Garlon in the air, my body detects the vapours and I severely react. In 2013, there were only two situations in which the outside air was safe for me: 1) when the wind was directly from the north and 2) when it was pouring rain.

To be determined by Registrant

12. In your opinion, was the product used according to the label instructions?

Unknown

Subform II: Human Incident Report (A separate form for each person affected)

1. Source of Report.

Data Subject

2. Demographic information of data subject

Sex: Female

Age: >19 <=64 yrs / >19 <=64 ans

3. List all symptoms, using the selections below.

System

• General
  • Symptom - Other
  • Specify - Heightened sensitivity to chemicals
  • Symptom - Joint pain
  • Specify - painful joints and muscles

• Nervous and Muscular Systems
  • Symptom - Muscle pain

• Renal System
  • Symptom - Urinary incontinence
  • Specify - Incontinence of bladder

• Gastrointestinal System
  • Symptom - Fecal incontinence
  • Specify - Incontinence of bowel
  • Symptom - Abnormal feces colour
  • Specify - Yellow stool

• Nervous and Muscular Systems
  • Symptom - Difficulty walking
  • Symptom - Muscle spasm
  • Symptom - Muscle weakness
  • Specify - muscle weakness in all my muscles head to toe
  • Symptom - Other
  • Specify - Muscle contractures

• Skin
  • Symptom - Burning skin
  • Specify - burning sensation of red patches on fee and legs below the knees
  • Symptom - Burns (2nd or 3rd degree)
  • Specify - chemical burns covered both my feet and both my legs from the knees down
  • Symptom - Edema
  • Specify - pitting edema in feet
  • Symptom - Irritated skin
  • Specify - red patches began appearing on my feet that were very irritating
  • Symptom - Peeling skin
  • Specify - Peeling and flaking skin

• General
  • Symptom - Pain

• Skin
  • Symptom - Other
  • Specify - pale yellow serum

4. How long did the symptoms last?

>6 mos / > 6 mois

5. Was medical treatment provided? Provide details in question 13.

Unknown

6. a) Was the person hospitalized?

No

6. b) For how long?

7. Exposure scenario

Non-occupational

8. How did exposure occur? (Select all that apply)

Drift from the application site

9. If the exposure occured during application or re-entry, what protective clothing was worn? (select all that apply)

Unknown

10. Route(s) of exposure.

Respiratory

11. What was the length of exposure?

Unknown / Inconnu

12. Time between exposure and onset of symptoms.

Unknown / Inconnu

13. Provide any additional details about the incident (eg. description of the frequency and severity of the symptoms, type of medical treatment, results from medical tests, outcome of the incident, amount of pesticide exposed to, etc.)

However, 2013 was the first time that I have ever been exposed to this much Garlon in one season. This time, I experienced much of the above symptoms, but the primary reaction was the negative effect on the neuro-muscular system. I experienced muscles spasms, muscle weakness in all my muscles head to toe, and increased muscle contractures. Muscle pain also skyrocketed, causing excruciating pain to stand and put weight on my feet and legs. For a short period of time, walking became almost impossible. This all resulted in a drastic reduction of my functional ability, once again leaving me completely dependent on others for almost everything. Then, in the winter of 2013/2014, red patches began appearing on my feet that were very irritating and had a burning sensation to them. These patches grew in size, in the degree of redness, in irritation and in the sensation of "feeling on fire". We concluded that toxic chemicals were coming out through my skin and causing chemical burns. The only thing that gave me relief was the rinsing of the skin in cold water. By the end of April 2014, these chemical burns covered both my feet and both my legs from the knees down. By the summer of 2014, pale yellow serum began coming out of the skin on the inside of both knees, flowing down my legs and hardening. This pale yellow substance was very irritating and made my knees and legs go into a heightened state of being on fire. It also increased my muscle spasms. By the fall of 2014, the yellow serum was lessening on my knees , but starting to come out on my feet. My husband treated my skin twice a day - 30 minutes in the morning before he left for work and 1 hour at night before we went to bed. The skin treatments involved removing the skin that was peeling and flaking off, rinsing with cold water and then applying olive oil to the skin. During the months of December 2014 and January 2015, we battled severe 2nd degree burns on the feet. The week between Christmas and New Years, we evaluated daily whether or not I needed to go to the hospital emergency. By February/March 2015, the burns began to slowly improve. By the fall of 2015, the skin treatments were reduced to once a day at night. By early 2016, there were no more burns on my legs, but the skin on the legs would still become itchy and irritated. Even now, my feet are still red and fluctuate between first and second degree burns. The yellow serum is still being secreted through the skin in my feet, but it is lessening. The cold water rinses are still needed to bring relief to the red skin, whether or not there is any serum. However, the rinses are always much longer when the serum is present, sometimes taking 30 to 40 minutes of rinsing in cold water before there is relief. The pattern that developed over the last few years as we have done these skin treatments is quite insightful. The more irritated my skin became, the more my leg muscles weakened and spasmed. However, after the skin treatments, the muscles would regain their strength and the spasms would stop.

To be determined by Registrant

14. Severity classification.

15. Provide supplemental information here.

Currently, 3.5 years after the Garlon exposure, I am still struggling to recover from the exposure in many other ways as well. I can now walk within my house, with the use of a walker, but I usually need to shift some of my weight onto my arms in order to be able to walk. I am only just starting to be able to lift my feet to do a 2" stair height, but my ankles are still not strong enough to handle walking on uneven, outside ground yet. I remain very dependent on others for all aspects of daily living. First thing in the morning, my muscles are still very weak. Basically I still can¿t get out of bed in the morning without my husband's help; and the first few steps of the morning still require a great deal of assistance from him. Although incontinence of the bowel has ended, my stools are still yellow. Incontinence of the bladder has greatly reduced, but bladder accidents still happen every few weeks.Also, another continued side-effect is my heightened sensitivity to exposures of toxic chemicals. My sensitivity to exposures is much more than it was in 2012, prior to the huge Garlon exposure of 2013. This heightened sensitivity causes my toxic reactions to be even more severe to an even smaller degree of exposure to scent or other products containing toxic chemicals.