Flashback: Insecticide At Fox News

TVNewser broke the news about allegations of pesticide exposure in June. Here’s a recap:

> June 17: “Production and technical personnel at Fox News Channel were exposed to diazinon, a neurotoxin class insecticide banned by the EPA for indoor use since the year 2000, according to a complaint now under investigation by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.”

> June 20: “I work at Fox News Channel, and I’d like to state for the record that the management is lying when they say that the OSHA complaint is an isolated incident,” an anonymous e-mailer says. “I was sick in bed for three days about a year and a half ago after being forced to work in an enclosed environment that had just been sprayed with incecticide. (And I mean JUST sprayed, as in I waited outside while they brought their incecticide inside and sprayed the hell out of the place.) The next day I woke up almost unable to move, coughing and sniffling…”

> June 20: FNC (finally) receives a letter from OSHA.

> June 21: “The New York City Health Department inquired into the use of a pesticide at Fox News headquarters two months ago, and verified that the spray contained diazinon and was not registered for use.”

> June 21: Roger Ailes talks to the newsroom: “Your health and well-being is something I care deeply about and I resent this kind of anonymous crap and the spreading of it because it’s a poor attempt damages a fine news organization. If there are health issues, let us deal with them.”

> June 22: Dianne Brandi, Fox News VP of legal and business affairs, says the spraying of an insecticide containing diazinon was isolated and the problems have been cleared up.