A family vacation in the U.S. Virgin Islands in March 2015 turned into a nightmare for a family of four from Delaware after the family was poisoned by a toxic pesticide used to fumigate the villa on St. John they were renting.
A U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) representative said initial findings “do show that there was a presence of methyl bromide in the unit where the family was staying.” Methyl bromide is banned from being used indoors in the United States, and its use in agricultural applications is governed by strict guidelines.
Steve Edmund, his wife and two sons were flown to hospitals in the U.S. for treatment. Recovery has been very slow for the whole family, especially the two boys. The wife, Teresa Devine, was least affected by the pesticide and was released from the hospital first. She underwent occupational therapy, and now she keeps a vigil over her husband and two sons.
The Family attorney, James Maron told CNN on Thursday the boys are now conscious, after being kept in a medically induced coma for weeks. but they are barely able to move. “They’re extreme fighters, and that’s why they’re hanging on,” says Maron, according to WTVR.com.
Six months after the accident, Steve Edmonds is slowly getting better, but he still suffers with tremors, has difficulty speaking and is unable to turn the pages of a book, says Maron. “Neurologically, it’s like being in a torture chamber,” Maron said.
Prognosis for recovery is at best, guarded
Dr. Reynold Panettieri Jr., the deputy director for the Center of Excellence in Environmental Toxicology says methyl bromide is incredibly toxic to humans, adding, “I would say the prognosis, at best, is guarded.” Panettieri has not personally treated the family, but he added, “As we know the victims have been off ventilators and they’ve been improved. But if that dose, even though it appeared to be acute, was over (a period of) hours, the damage to the nerves and to the brain itself may render it irreversibly damaged.”
Ken Feinberg, who handled the settlements for victims of the 9/11 attacks is handling mediation with Terminix for the Edmunds family, Maron said. Mediation is expected to begin on September 28.
New findings in the case
The Edmunds family weren’t the only ones sickened by the pesticide in the Virgin Islands. Six other people, four of them emergency workers who helped the family, were sickened. Their symptoms included headache, fatigue, cough and shortness of breath, mild symptoms of methyl bromide exposure, according to the EPA.
The pesticide manufacturer, Chemtura, told CNN that an odor is supposed to be added to methyl bromide before it is used, just like an odor is added to natural gas so that people can detect it. The family attorney says there was no odor added in this case. Terminix refused to comment on this issue.
Previous reports have shown that Terminix used methyl bromide on numerous occasions across the Virgin Islands. It was also discovered that other pest control companies on the islands had methyl bromide in their possession, and officials have been checking records to see if the pesticide was used improperly.
Ken Mapp, the Governor of the Virgin Islands said, “What these companies did or appear to have been doing is clearly a violation of the law, and they’ll be held accountable for it.” Mapp also learned his own home was fumigated using methyl bromide in 2013.
It seems that every single time methyl bromide is to be used, paperwork must be filed with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) stating how it is being used and what kind of application is being done. In the Edmunds case, this was not done. That section of the application was left blank, and no one noticed.
The Virgin Islands’ Department of Planning and Natural Resources (DPNR), the local equivalent of the EPA, is riddled with corruption, and has been so way before the Edmunds decided to vacation on the Virgin Islands in March. Deficiencies in management and oversight have been found by the EPA Inspector General in recent years.
In May of 2014, the EPA designated the DPNR as being “high risk,” saying the agency “does not meet management standards.” In addition to the rating, $100,000 was allocated to the DPNR for “training” and the money didn’t go for training because it is never done on the island. Pesticide applicators must go through retraining yearly, but it was not being done.
Since 2008, three DPNR officials have been jailed for taking kickbacks, and in 2014, a director with the DPNR was sentenced to 70 months in federal prison for illegal drug trafficking. If it sounds like the EPA has its hands full sorting out the mess in the Virgin Islands and what happened to the Edmunds family, you’re right. And much more is sure to come out in the future.
