Beware capped canisters on beaches, contain pesticide

[uppityperson]

http://www.peninsuladailynews.com/article/20090416/NEWS/304169992

Aluminum containers discovered on beaches in 2008 have continued to wash up on Pacific Coast shores, with three found at Strawberry Point south of LaPush on April 4. The 1-liter canisters, which are about 10 inches long with red or white plastic caps, are containers for aluminum phosphide, a pesticide often used on cargo ships.

The state Department of Ecology is spreading the word -- on the eve of Saturday's annual Coastal Cleanup -- that any capped canisters discovered should not be opened. The contents can harm people as well as animals. "Last year, we weren't really sure what was in them or where they were coming from," Kim Schmanke, spokeswoman for the state Department of Ecology, said on Wednesday. Schmanke said that canisters that are not capped and that are empty are not dangerous. "If someone finds one that is empty and has been through the waves, they could even take it with them if they really wanted to, but the danger lies with the ones that aren't empty," she said.

Aluminum phosphide -- which is often used to protect crops from insects or rodents during transport -- is dangerous if inhaled or ingested. Symptoms of mild to moderate acute aluminum phosphide toxicity include nausea, abdominal pain, tightness in chest, excitement, restlessness, agitation and chills. Symptoms of more severe toxicity include diarrhea, cyanosis, difficulty breathing, pulmonary edema, respiratory failure, rapid heart beat and low blood pressure, dizziness and possibly death.

Ecology said in 2008 that hundreds of the canisters had been found along Pacific coast beaches, but the source has never been determined. The three canisters found near LaPush earlier this month were decontaminated by Ecology personnel -- by rinsing them out with water -- and recycled, Schmanke said....(more@link)