Spray Drift
Pesticide laws prohibit drift of the chemical from the target area.
But it routinely happens, and no one is doing anything about it.

   On August 27, 2003, I observed an aerial applicator spraying a soybean field near Hemingway, South Carolina. I did not have time that day to do more extensive observations. But I did stop and take two pictures:

Copyright 2003, David L. Green     Unauthorized use prohibited

     The first photo shows the spray drift from the plane. It has just passed over the road from the field on the left. The spray can be seen as a light colored band against the sky background. The contrast on the photo has been digitally enhanced to show what was plainly visible to the eye at the scene, that the spray continues well across the road. The band is narrower on the right side of the photo because it has not had as much time to spread. The plane pulled up to avoid the wire and has just exited the photo view on the right.

   The entire road, and the property on the right side is also being sprayed. When this belongs to a different landowner, it is known as chemical trespass.

    After a minute I drove on, and immediately received a "gift," on my windshield.

Copyright 2003, David L. Green     Unauthorized use prohibited

   I drove ahead until I could park with a shade tree in front of me, then focused on the windshield itself to show the spray droplets that had landed there. I kept my windows up. Hopefully, not too much contamination would come through the air conditioning system, but I don't know that. And for someone with the windows down, there would be direct contact of the spray on their skin.

   Since I don't know what material was being used, and did not have time to pursue this, I just offer these photos as evidence to confirm what I have seen countless times - that people are being exposed to pesticides without their consent, and often without their knowledge by drift from aerial applicators.

A more extensive set of observations on a cotton spray application.

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