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PA TENNESSEE MAN CONVICTED ON PESTICIDE CHARGES
Release Date: 10/09/98
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FOR RELEASE: FRIDAY, OCTOBER 9, 1998
TENNESSEE MAN CONVICTED ON PESTICIDE CHARGES
Robert E. Kelly, Jr., operator of Kelly Spraying Service in Memphis, was convicted by a jury in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Tennessee in Memphis on Oct. 5, on 20 counts of violating the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act. Kelly illegally applied the pesticide methyl parathion to homes in the Memphis area. Methyl parathion is licensed for outdoor agricultural use only where it degrades rapidly when exposed to sunlight. When used indoors, the extremely toxic pesticide can stay potent for periods of up to two years. Human exposure to sufficient quantities of methyl parathion can produce headaches, nausea, vomiting, blurred vision, difficulty breathing, coma and death. The current cost of testing individuals, homes and businesses for methyl parathion poisoning and the cost of relocating families in this case has exceeded $2 million. When sentenced, Kelly faces a maximum potential prison term of over 10 years. The case was investigated by EPA’s Criminal Investigation Division, the FBI and the Tennessee Department of Agriculture.
R-139 ###
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