Watermelons May Be Linked to 100 Illnesses

Reports of sickness from eating contaminated watermelons mounted in three Western states Friday while health and agricultural officials tried to determine where the tainted fruit came from.

More than 100 possible cases of watermelon-related illness, apparently stemming from the use of a pesticide, were counted in California, Oregon and Washington.

Calls from hundreds of worried citizens made it difficult to calculate the precise number of illnesses, Dr. Kenneth Kizer, the California Health Services director, said at a news conference.

But at least 10 California cases surfaced Friday morning, including a Santa Clara County family of nine, in addition to 18 cases reported earlier.

18 Poisonings in Oregon

Oregon officials reported 18 confirmed and 10 unconfirmed cases, and a Washington state health official said there were up to 50 unconfirmed reports of watermelon-linked illnesses.

Kizer said all California cases were connected to solid-colored melons, but five cases in Oregon were tied to striped melons, possibly from El Centro, Calif., or Yuma, Ariz.

Kizer said effects of the poisoning become apparent within an hour of eating the contaminated fruit but wear off in a few hours. He said the illness is not usually fatal but could be, especially in those with heart or lung problems. An antidote--atropine--is available through physicians and emergency rooms.

Symptoms include severe nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and blurred vision.

Watermelon sales were halted in all three states Thursday.

California officials said evidence of pesticide contamination has been found in watermelons from two Kern County growers in the California Central Valley.

Kizer said the peak-of-the-season ban on state shipments would continue until testing is completed in about 550 fields bearing ripe or recently harvested fruit. Consumers who have purchased watermelons recently were advised not to eat them.

Once the contamination is isolated, he said, watermelons certified to be pesticide-free will be allowed back on market shelves.

The pesticide, aldicarb, cannot be legally used on watermelons in California, although it is permitted on some other California crops such as cotton. Violations could be both criminal and civil offenses, officials said.

The misdemeanor penalty for improper pesticide use carries a $1,000 fine and up to six months in jail but civil damages could amount to millions of dollars, they said.

Bob Krauter of the California Farm Bureau Federation said, “Needless to say, it (the ban) comes at a bad time as far as growers are concerned.”

Barbara Buck of the Western Growers Assn. said, “We urge state officials to act quickly to determine where these watermelons came from in hopes of avoiding financial disaster for the $25-million watermelon industry in California.”

Associate Director Rex Magee of the state Department of Food and Agriculture told reporters: “This is an absolutely devastating thing for the growers concerned. This is their whole crop for the year.”