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American Family Possibly Poisoned by Pesticides on Caribbean Vacation
Traveling to the Caribbean for a relaxing beach getaway sounds like the ideal vacation, but for one Delaware family, spring break at a luxury resort ended with all four family members being hospitalized due to possible pesticide poisoning.
According to ABC News, school administrator Steve Esmond, his wife Dr. Theresa Devine, and their two teenage sons may have been exposed to the pesticide methyl bromide after traveling to the Sirenusa Resort on St. John in the U.S. Virgin Islands for spring break. Initial reports from Judith Enck, administrator for the Environmental Protection Agency’s Region 2 Office, which covers the U.S. Virgin Islands, indicated that the family arrived March 18 at their second floor condo, the same day that the apartment below them was sprayed with the harmful pesticide in order to combat an indoor bug problem.
POISONED IN PARADISE: Entire family stricken at Caribbean resort…What may be to blame? http://t.co/qK1LZ5oHJy pic.twitter.com/hhSzbb5klM
— Eyewitness News (@ABC7NY) April 6, 2015
Enck said that by March 20 the entire family became seriously ill with both boys, ages 16 and 14, experiencing seizures. After being taken to a hospital on the neighboring island St. Thomas by paramedics, the boys were then airlifted to a hospital in Philadelphia, while the parents were airlifted to a hospital in Delaware. The mother is currently undergoing occupational therapy after being treated and released, but both sons remain in serious condition in comas while their father just recently became stable.
Methyl Bromide is a potent neurotoxin that can cause central nervous system and respiratory failure after high exposure. Enck told ABC that the EPA banned methyl bromide for indoor residential use in the 1980s, but the product still is on the market for agricultural use.
According to ABC, both the EPA and Department of Justice have launched separate investigations into the incident in order to determine if the dangerous chemical was in fact being unsafely and illegally used by the pest control company Terminix in the vicinity of the family. This family’s ordeal may be frightening for other vacationers planning to travel soon, but both departments are hoping to uncover the truth behind what made this family’s tropical vacation turn into a frightening fight for their lives.
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