posted on October 22, 2001 02:09:07 PM newMississippi health officials probe crop-duster case
JACKSON, Miss. Oct 22 (Reuters) - Mississippi health officials on Monday were analyzing samples taken from a river towboat after a crop-dusting plane sprayed the towboat and a pleasure craft, officials said.
The state health department said the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had asked the state to test for certain substances, which it did not identify, and those were being conducted.
In the incident south of Helena last Friday, the skipper of a Mississippi River towboat reported being sprayed by a low-flying crop-duster. A pleasure craft was also sprayed but the craft has not yet been found.
The FBI is investigating the incident, which came after a spate of anthrax cases in Florida, New York and Washington raised public fears of a systematic biological attack in the United States.
The director of the Bolivar County Emergency Management Agency, Kent Buckley, said officials suspected the sprayed substance was sodium chlorate, which is used to defoliate cotton crops and would not be dangerous if sprayed on people.
Ten crew members of the towboat were given Cipro, the drug used to counter anthrax, as a precautionary measure, he told Reuters.
Buckley said the incident was clearly not an accident. "This was a deliberate action," he said.
He said the crop-dusting plane had not been identified since the aircraft's tail number had not been spotted.
Federal authorities grounded crop-dusting flights nationwide for a period last month after investigators discovered that some of the hijackers in the Sept. 11 attacks on New York and Washington had made inquiries about crop-dusters.
posted on October 22, 2001 07:57:53 PM new
It hasn't made it to the web that I can find yet but there was a story on the local news tonight about random shootings. Luckily no one has been seriously injured. Several cars were shot while just driving down the road. All were in majority black areas, all white victims. Witnesses said the men wore middle eastern looking turbans. Several have been arrested. I don't know if they were immitating Muslims by their dress or were related to a Muslim group. We do have a big Farakahain (SP???) following but they well could very well just be punks in costume.
I read on Drudge yesterday that Farakahain (SP???) denounced the war.
posted on October 22, 2001 08:12:22 PM new
They are a fact here but seldom do they wear middle eastern looking turbans. I live in MS.
Read the story from a different news source without many details. Says it was a pellet gun. Punks evidently.
Maybe it was their Halloween costumes. They say Bin Laden is the #1 costume this year. Sick.
posted on October 22, 2001 10:13:03 PM new
Ya all know by now my police scanner is on all the time.
Tonight there was another Hazmat call, but this one seems to be more serious. It's at the UPS. For my locals here it's in Menlo Park.
The call was a couple of hours ago. Every unit that responded is now quarantined within the parameter. That means police, fire, and two ambulances that were dispatched. This hasn't happened before on any of the other calls I've listened to.
Just heard an update. They will be sending in a sample for testing within 10 minates. So it looks like they'll be there a while. Now I'm not saying this is Anthax. I haven't heard what the suspected substance is. Just curious because it's at UPS.
posted on October 22, 2001 10:40:15 PM new
Yes, it does seem strange. This will also hold up deliveries for UPS. But, another thing is I hope the bad guys don't have their scanners on. That city is really short on police units on the street because of this.
posted on October 22, 2001 11:55:09 PM new
Well they finally got the all clear. Didn't see anything on the local news at 11:00. So hope there is a report tomorrow.
posted on October 23, 2001 06:56:32 AM new
I'd be real surprised if that spraying of the boat incidient were anthrax.
A friend of mine knows a guy who was a crop duster. He sprayed the potato fields in our area for years. When he made his last pass over the field, if there was still some chemical defoliant left, he DUMPED it before returning the plane. Where ever he felt like! He said this was common practice.
I know it happened in at least one case... my next door neighbor actually SAW a crop duster empty his tanks on her organic garden. She sent samples of the produce to Cornell University for testing, and the company who owned the plane had to pay her for all her veggies. I watch those planes closely now when they fly over here.
posted on October 23, 2001 07:17:08 AM new
Jmho2: When did they remove the ban on crop dusting planes? Not a very smart move by our government!
On the contrary--it was a very good move by the government. Apparently you do not live in an agricultural community. Crop dusters are very important to the farming economy and through the years more and more farmers have gone to this method to fertilize crops, kill bugs, worms and other pests, add important nutrients to the soil, defoliate crops in the fall, etc. In addition, it also placed a ban on planes that spread fire retardant on forest fires--right during the height of fire season in the west. Whether or not the use of chemicals is correct (that's a whole other discussion!) today's farming community was adversley affected during the crop dusting ban. Those pretty vegetables in the grocery store don't get that way without help.
posted on October 23, 2001 07:55:15 AM new
mmmmmmm, Joycel, yes I happen to live in an agricultural community. However, I'd rather be safe than sorry and have some idiot hijack one of the crop duster planes and kill the people that live here. We farm the old fashioned way, the way our parents did. Most of the farmers around here do it that way.
We also don't eat the "pretty" vegetables in the stores. They're sprayed with chemicals that could be harmful to one's health or they don't come from the states. Most of our veggies are now coming from Mexico with poor sanitation. No thank you. We grow our own pretty vegetables, untouched by any chemicals. I'd rather buy from the local farmer's market than anyone else.
Have there been any fires that aren't being reported? I haven't heard of any. We had a huge one here a couple of years ago around Christmas, started by some touristy types who didn't like the area I guess. It took them several weeks to finally get it out, without the use of the planes. I guess we're just an old fashioned type of community.
I guess we're just an old fashioned type of community.