Chemicals to Control Mosquitos, How Safe Are They?

Do you know how safe the chemicals are that are used in many towns to control mosquitos? According to the MSDS sheet on the chemical used in our town, it is highly toxic to humans, pets, bees, and of course, mosquitos.

I know west nile virus is a problem, however is anyone even thinking about what all these chemicals are doing to people that are breathing it in or absorbing it through the skin? I watched as a truck sprayed this stuff right at two little girls this week! These little girls were standing at the fence of their alley playing and the truck drove not 5 feet from them with the sprayer running. This stuff is supposed to discipate over and area, but these girls got dosed probably 100 times the level that would normally cover the area because of their close proximity. Now I don't know about anyone else, but I would consider that child endangerment. A few days before that, they sprayed the stuff while my children were standing near the alley. Fortunately the winds were blowing at about 20 mph in the opposite direction, but it still is not safe. Apparently our city has no regard for the MSDS sheet either because it specifically states it is not to be used if the winds are in excess of 10 MPH.

In our town they were spraying on Tuesdays and on Fridays, between 2:00 and 6:00 am. Now I can deal with that, if there were indeed a mosquito problem here, but there is not! In the two months I have been here, I have actually seen one mosquito, and that was in the state park near the lake. I guess the problem is so bad now, that they have taken to spraying twice a day on the days they spray. The second time is at 6:00 at night! Now think about this a moment if you will. This is a chemical that the EPA regards as TOXIC to humans and pets. It's being sprayed in the middle of the night while we all are sleeping, not so bad right? No one is out about for the most part, so very few people are actually being affected by this. Now you take this stuff and spray it between 6:00 and 8:00 at night. How many people do you think are being affected now? Every child that is out in their yard, on a nice Summer evening, is now being "fumigated" as they play. So is everyone else, and all our pets that may be out and about at the time.

There are no controlled tests on long term effects on humans. PBO, (Piperonyl Butoxide), which is an ingredient in our insecticide used in the mosquito irradication progam has been classified by the U.S. Environmental agency as a possible cancer causing agent that specifically attacks the liver, (info gathered from a Sacramento web site,http://www.sacbee.com/101/story/318484.html

). They don't know if your children today may get cancer 10 or 20 years from now because of this stuff. Your grand children may be birth defects, they simply don't know. Look at it this way, because of a handful of West Nile virus cases per million people, we'll spray a chemical that may in the long term kill mass numbers of people with cancer and liver failure. B ut hey, at least we didn't have West Nile Virus in an area where mosquitos are at a minimum to begin with.

The chemical used here also warns against spraying near water ways where there are fish that are consumed by humans. Hmm, why is that do you suppose? My guess is, it gets in the water, then in the fish, we eat the fish, we get sick because of the spray. Okay, why then is it okay to spray it throughout town at a time when EVERYONE is outside? And why is it okay to spray it right straight at children only a few feet away from the sprayer? Why is it okay to spray it in winds in excess of 16 mph, when the MSDS sheet clearly states not to spray it in winds over 10 mph? Why is it okay to break all the rules laid out by the EPA on a chemical that is harmful to humans and animals?

I don't know about anyone else, but I am not going to sit back and take this. If this is going on in your town, you need to take action NOW! Write letters and make phone calls to everyone you can think of, Senators, city council, the EPA, and the manufacturer of the chemical. Call your city department and ask for the MSDS sheet on their mosquito spray. They are required to comply. Look it over, make copies, and start writing and calling, and ask lots of questions, and demand answers. You have a right to know what is being sprayed around you and your family.

The EPA states that these chemicals are safe to humans and pets, when sprayed according to the product instructions. Is your town following these instructions? I know for a fact that our town is NOT!

Many people are chemical sensitive and these chemicals can make them very sick, I know, I am one of those people. Do you know for sure that you and your family are not one of those people?

Below is a link to an excellent site on mosquitos and how to SAFELY be safe from them.

Http://www.getipm.com/thebestcontrol/chapter-23/Mosquitos-Part2.htm

The next site is a Physicians guide to pesticide poisoning,

Http://www.getipm.com/thebestcontrol/physicians_guide/toc.htm

One of our Sunday school teachers once said, "what was science 20 years ago, is laughable today". How much will we all be laughing at all of this in 20 years? I don't think anyone will find this all very funny 20 years down the line.