An Offaly man has urged farmers to exercise caution when transporting and storing sheep dip after he went into a coma, having carried sheep dip in his jeep.
Gus Egan who works with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine in Tullamore and who is a drystock cattle farmer in Five Alley, Birr, ended up in a coma after he became unwell due to carrying sheep dip on the passenger seat of his jeep.
The incident happened in October 2020.
“The land where I had the sheep is 10 miles away from where I’m living. I had arranged to dose and spray the sheep about four or five days before I got sick,” Gus said.
“I took the 5L container of dip and dosing equipment out of the jeep. I should have put it in the boot.
“I had used half of the dip the previous year and obviously the lid hadn’t been closed correctly. It had been in the jeep for four or five days,” he said.
After this Gus and his nephews visit the sheep and doseed them. They decided that they didnt need to use the dip as the sheep were clean.
“Unfortunately, I left the dip in the jeep and there was a build-up of fumes,” said Gus.
“That wouldn’t be the fault of the manufacturer; there was a build-up of fumes and the lid wasn’t properly on,” he explained.
“I didn’t take it out of the jeep. There was probably a million to one chance this could happen. The dip was shaking around in the jeep and the fumes built up.”
Coma
Gus got sick suddenly, and was taken to the hospital. After three or four days, he went into a coma.
“The doctors and the team in the hospital didn’t know what was causing it,” he said.
“My lungs were full of chemical poisoning. My family searched around at home and found the sheep dip in the jeep.”
Gus was unconscious for almost a month and lost the ability to walk.
“I had to go to the National Rehabilitation Hospital in Dún Laoghaire and I came home in a wheelchair. Between Tullamore hospital and the National Rehabilitation Hospital, I was over seven months away,” he said.
“I never thought this could happen. I would be regarded as being careful and farm safety conscious. I wouldn’t have taken risks or chances.”
The Offaly man consdiers himself very lucky to have had the medical team he had.
“They didn’t know what was causing my problem but when they found out, they dealt with it,” he said.
“Still, I was in a coma for a long time.”
“I lost four stone in weight while I was in hospital and had no energy.”
Sheep dip safety
“I don’t think a lot of farmers are aware of the dangers. I normally dip 150 to 250 every year. I’m all my life dealing with sheep,” Gus continued.
“If the sheep dip had got on my hands, I would have washed it off. I didn’t dream that the sheep dip in the jeep would cause such a reaction.
“There is a tendency among some farmers to keep sheep dip in a locked press but if the lid is not properly on, the fumes will build up in the press and will hit when the door is opened.
“I was very lucky to recover even though I am still feeling the effects. The team in the National Rehabilitation Hospital felt I wouldn’t walk again, it was 50-50.”
The Health and Safety Authority, on its website, warns that all sheep dips contain hazardous substances.
“In order to kill the parasites on sheep, the sheep dip must be absorbed through the parasites’ skin,” it says.
“When dipping sheep or handling afterwards, handlers are most at risk from absorption through the skin.
“Organophosphate (0P) sheep dips are regulated as veterinary medicinal products by the Irish Medicines Board.
“To avoid the ill-health effects from sheep dips, farmers should consider using alternative products, isolate the handler from the sheep dip and use proper protective equipment and clothing.”