Foul Smell: Stink Explained, Concerns Raised

The stink you've been smelling in Eastern Hillsborough County? No, the unusual smell was not from a gas leak, but from a pesticide sprayed that officials say have no known health hazards, according to a news alert issued by police and health officials today, Thursday, Sept. 5.

But that's where the conversation on Facebook begins, not ends, as people are raising a stink about what one person called, "the oddest smell."

According to a TBO.com report, the "stinky aroma" that "settled on streets in and around downtown Tampa" could be traced to "a pesticide spray that was sprayed on strawberry fields in eastern Hillsborough County."

Ted Campbell, director of the Florida Strawberry Growers Association in Plant City, is quoted in the Tribune report as saying: "It's fumigation season. We're using Paladin now. It's actually very effective, but it really stinks." Reportedly, Paladin "is safer for the aquifer and dissipates more quickly as the season wears on."

• For more, read Odor In Downtown Tampa Blamed On Pesticide, by Tribune staff reporter Keith Morelli, posted at TBO.com, Sept. 5.

• "Tampa Fire Rescue and the Hillsborough County Health Department have determined the unusual odor in the air this morning in Tampa is NOT a health risk.  A pesticide that was sprayed in Eastern Hillsborough County is causing the odor. The pesticide is called Paladin and contains Dimethyl Disulfide. Other than the unpleasant odor, there are no known health hazards."
  
  

• Hillsborough County Fire Rescue is one of the many agencies involved in the on-going investigation of strong sulfur type odors from the east part of the County. We have received updated reports from the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services and Environmental Protection Commission of Hillsborough County. Please see the FAQ on Dimethyl Disulfide that the FDACS provided. We will continue to coordinate closely with FDACS and the other agencies involved."
  
  

• "Environmental investigators have confirmed that the odorous smell was from a release of the chemical Paladin. This chemical pesticide was used in eastern Hillsborough County by strawberry growers.   Product application is expected to be ongoing for another week.   Detectable fumes and odors have diminished significantly, and residents in the City of Tampa have not been directlyexposed or in any immediate danger."

• "The odor of DMDS has been described in the literature as pungent garlic, propane, decaying fish, or decomposing materials. A literature review conducted by the registrant suggests that the mean odor threshold for DMDS is 7 to 12 ppb (0.007 - 0.012 ppm), which is approximately three orders of magnitude below the concentration at which nasal irritation is observed in rodent inhalation studies. This suggests that individuals near a treated field are likely to detect the odor of DMDS before it reaches a concentration at which it would begin to produce nasal irritation. However, the time required for a person to detect the odor and the variability and aversion to the odor among various individuals is not currently known for DMDS."