The course had been heavily sprayed and there was weed killer in a lake. When I got to the course for the third round I couldn't hit a wedge shot 30 yards - I didn't have the strength. My eyes were bloodshot my complexion was very ruddy and my right hand was swollen from taking balls from the caddie. My doctor diagnosed acute pesticide poisoning. I found I couldn't reason on the heavily treated courses.
Direct contact encourages absorption of toxic materials through the skin and sometimes ingestion.
Recently sprayed pesticides do volatize on hot days leading to the additional risk of inhalation. Golfers affected by pesticides will experience several early symptoms including memory loss fatigue headaches nausea and dizziness. But although Epstein recognizes the potential seriousness of these symptoms, he is more concerned about the long term ill-effects of pesticides. That's a high level of exposure to a number of chemical agents that produce delayed effects, such as birth defects, neurological disorders and cancer. That means testing and approving any new product on the market.