Mosquito control or bio warfare?
Steve Tvedten has been campaigning to raise awareness on the dangers of using the "registered" POISONS - toxic pesitcides and chemical weedkillers - for years. Steve's site (thebestcontrol) advocates safe and far more effective - unregistered - alternatives to the government and corporate mandated "terminator" approach - biowarfare rather than an intelligent way of handling a problem.
If we complain about health problems but ignore our poisonous environment, we should rather take a second look.
Mosquito season sees a great increase in poison distribution, and golf courses seem not far behind with toxic weedkillers that leave the area (and possible water further downstream) dangerously polluted with arsenic. A selection of recent news sent by Steve gives us an idea of what is happening.
I especially appreciated an article titled "Study Shows Crustaceans Control Mosquitoes" published in Beyond Pesticides on September 3.
West Nile Virus & The Scourge of Pesticides
By Brenda Livingston
As more of the public becomes informed, it is becoming all too clear that there is no comparison between the number of human cases resulting from West Nile Virus and the vast human cost of spraying toxins into the air we breathe. In addition to the irreparable harm done to adults and children and the environment, spraying pesticides simply does not work.As the West Nile virus was found in a few birds in Dallas and the first human cases of the virus has been identified in North Texas, the debate in about the effectiveness of pesticides and their toxic effects on humans and wildlife has begun once again...and more people are getting involved.
Dallas Public Health and environmental officials have sprayed pesticides in the Dallas area over the last couple of weeks after the discovery of 3 persons (all recovering) testing positive for the West Nile Virus.
Though limiting the ground spraying to affected areas this year, adequate warnings about the dangers associated with exposure to pesticides have not been shared with the public.Officials in cities all over the country have approved ground spraying and even aerial spraying (with and without public knowledge or approval) of potentially dangerous chemicals into the environment in which we
live, work and play. Investigations are now underway to expose covert spraying operations and to organize opposition to these kinds of spraying efforts.David Jefferson and others in the environmental management office for the Tarrant County (Fort Worth Texas) Public Health Department have vocalized concerns about the overuse of pesticides and has applied a far more effective approach to handling the mosquito population.
"Spraying toxins in the air upon the population with such low yield results...even with 1 case of human WNV identified in that county is not being recommended or applied in this county. Ground and aerial spraying only eliminates the adult insects in contact with the pesticide."
Along with many other health experts, Jefferson agrees that larval control and elimination of breeding grounds is a much more effective -- and safe -- approach to lowering risk (which is already minimal) of human contraction of West Nile Virus.
One thing is for sure--cancer, brain and neurological damage, behavioral and reproductive problems will result in a significant cross section of the population if we allow the continued and unwarranted use of pesticides in agriculture, our homes, our schools and most significantly that being sprayed in the air throughout our communities. Research now shows that even those pesticides with less toxic effects (such as Pyrethroids) will have devastating effects upon children and adults.
Excerpted From a Center For Disease Control FAQ:
"Q. If I live in an area where birds or mosquitoes with West Nile virus have been reported and a mosquito bites me, am I likely to get sick?
A. No. Even in areas where mosquitoes do carry the virus, very few mosquitoes-much less than 1%-are infected. If the mosquito is infected, less than 1% of people who get bitten and become infected will get
severely ill. The chances you will become severely ill from any one mosquito bite are extremely small.The risk to contract West Nile Virus encephalitis is extremely small 1 in 300,000 people and affects only those with impaired immunity.
"Based upon experience, we know that typically less than one tenth of one percent of people bitten by infected mosquitoes develop any clinical signs of disease, and of those who do develop disease symptoms, most do not develop the serious encephalitis manifestations.." Michael Gochfeld, Professor of Environmental and Community Medicine, the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School.
WHY -- if there is such a small risk of humans getting infected from mosquitos that have such a small risk of contracting the West Nile Virus from infected birds-- are we allowing our officials to put us at such great risk of suffering from the horrible effects of pesticide exposure?
One has to wonder why the information about the harmful effects of pesticides are not more prominent in the news and why spraying is instituted without any calculation of the devastation that is caused by it. Risks and benefits must be weighed very carefully with an informed public at the helm.
Consider the Following:PESTICIDES LOWER IMMUNE SYSTEMS THAT CAN FIGHT OFF WEST NILE & OTHER DISEASES
The UN report continues: "Ironically the very 'defense' against West Nile Virus is making birds and humans far more susceptible to this virus and other viruses and bacterial infections.
There are well known safe approaches that can be used to control mosquitoes and prevent West Nile Virus.Apart from such well known measures, the best protection against West NileVirus encephalitis is a healthy immune system. Exposure to pesticides is now recognized to be detrimental to human as well as animal health and all immune systems.
Spraying pesticides (aerially or on the ground) poses much more danger to public health, especially to children, than the extremely small health presented by West Nile Virus."
PESTICIDES CAUSE DELETIONS IN WHITE BLOOD CELL CHROMOSOME
A 1996 study found that in experiments of human white blood cells (white blood cells are the back-bone of our immune system) that malathion was causing "deletions" in one section of the chromosome.
The scientists stated, "This work provides the first evidence of an association between malathion exposure and specific mutations in human T lymphocytes."
...Your lymphoctes are a type of immune system cell which is extremely important in removing viruses and cancer cells from the body. ...The lesson to be learned from this is we do not want to expose ourselves to chemicals (such as malathion) that can accelerate gene loss in important cells which are protecting us from bacteria, viruses, etc.
Genetics Laboratory, University of Vermont, Burlington, Vermont CANCER RESEARCH, 56, 2393-2399, May 15, 1996
LINKS BETWEEN PESTICIDES AND SERIOUS DISEASE
We know, however, that chemical pesticides and other pollutants cause acute and especially delayed health consequences such as allergy, immunotoxicity, neurotoxicity, genetic damage, cancer, concentration and memory problems, loss of potency and libido, and many other health problems."
The National Research Council states that: "Infants and children, whose immature nervous systems are vulnerable, and newborns, whose metabolisms are less capable of detoxifying malathion, are more susceptible than adults to its toxic effects." [Pesticides in the Diets of Infants and Children. National Academy Press. Washington D.C.]
There is also a link between exposure to pesticides, and Parkinson's Disease, breast cancer, lymphoma and certain cases of Alzheimer's Disease.
CHILDREN'S EXPOSURE TO PESTICIDES INCREASE LYMPHOMA RISK
From "Child's Exposure to Pesticides Hikes Lymphoma Risk"
posted on CHEC FORUM November 10, 2001 (by Chive Mynde)"Children who have been exposed to household insecticides and professional extermination methods within the home are three to seven times more likely to develop non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) compared with children who have not been exposed to pesticides. ..."
"Pesticide Exposures in Children with Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma," Jonathan D Buckley M.B.B.S., Ph.D., Anna T. Meadows, M.D., Marshall E. Kadin, M.D, Michelle M. Le Beau, Ph.D., Stuart Siegel, M.D., and Leslie L. Robison, Ph.D., CANCER 2000; 89:11.
PESTICIDES OPEN UP DEVASTING ILLNESS FOR THOSE GENETICALLY PRE-DISPOSEDResearchers at Southwestern Medical School (University of Texas Health Science Center) Robert Haley and Tom Kurt in Dallas, Texas have found that a substantial number of veterans exposed to sprayed pesticides (to control mosquitos and sandflies), DEET (as a repellent) and a substance used to lessen the effects of nerve poisoning in the Gulf War are suffering devastating effects.
The implications are staggering for the general population as a whole who are exposed to these substances.
The study states:
"The culprit gene is the one that controls production of type Q paraoxonase, or PON-Q, an enzyme that allows the body to fight off chemical toxins by destroying them. This particular enzyme is highly specific for the chemical nerve agents sarin and soman as well as for the common pesticide diazinon.
In some people, the gene causes the body to produce high levels of PON-Q, allowing their bodies to fight off toxins like nerve gas. But in others the gene directs the production of low levels of PON-Q, meaning a person cannot fight off even low levels of these toxic chemicals well."
Organophosphate pesticides have chemical structure similar to nerve agents and have the potential of becoming highly toxic for normal individuals if misused or mixed with other pesticides or chemicals.
All this to say that it seems clear that massive spraying for West Nile Fever or simply for mosquito control will harm children and adults who have this low enzyme level and stimulate this painful, debilitating and deadly disease in those with a genetic predisposition to it.
And, unless this West Nile outbreak becomes a full scale epidemic -- spraying will likely be the cause of great long-term suffering for thousands -- with no appreciable effects on the carriers of West Nile. Not only can massive spraying of pesticides cause GWS/environmental disease -- it will undoubtedly increased the suffering of those who already suffer from it.
See the following site for details and information on more studies:
ENDOCRINE DISRUPTOR PESTICIDES AND SEVERE NEUROLOGICAL EFFECTS (IN ADDITION TO REPRODUCTIVE PROBLEMS)By EPA's working definition, endocrine disruptors "interfere with the synthesis, secretion, transport, binding, action, or elimination of natural hormones in the body that are responsible for the maintenance of homeostasis (normal cell metabolism), reproduction, development, and/or behavior."
The Pyrethroids (Scourge-resmethrin and Anvil- sumithrin) both used in mosquito spraying in an ineffective attempt to control West Nile Virus -- have been shown to interfere with the immune and endocrine systems. Adverse chronic effects, including effects on the liver and thyroid, have been reported in toxicology testing.
According to toxicologists, animal tests showed that chronic exposure to resmethrin could increase thyroid weight and cause thyroid cysts. In animal studies, it was found that in addition to a variety of other health effects, exposure to pyrethroids can suppress both the thyroid's T4 and T3 levels, and raise Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH) levels.
According to researchers writing in the Journal of Applied Toxicology, "immense care is warranted in the use of insecticides, because they not only affect the liver, kidney and other organs but also may alter the activity of the endocrine glands." (J Appl Toxicol 1996 Sep-Oct;16(5):397-400)
A multidisciplinary group of international experts gathered for a work session on Environmental Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals: Neural, Endocrine and Behavioral Efects" under the auspices of the International School of Ethology at the Ettore Majorana Centre for Scientific Culture in Erice, Sicily, November 5-10, 1995.
Consensus Report...
"Endocrine-disrupting chemicals can undermine neurological and behavioral development...This loss of potential in humans and wildlife is expressed as behavioral and physical abnormalities. It may be expressed as reduced intellectual capacity and social adaptability, as impaired responsiveness to environmental demands, or in a variety of other functional guises.
... Interference with thyroid hormone function during development leads to abnormalities in brain and behavioral development ...motor dysfunction of varying severity including cerebral palsy, mental retardation, learning disability, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, hydrocephalus, seizures and other permanent neurological abnormalities.
Similarly, exposure to man-made chemicals during early development can impair motor function, spatial perception, learning, memory, auditory development, fine motor coordination, balance, and attentional processes; in severe cases, mental retardation may result...."
ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS
In an article distributed by the Environmental News Service, Cat Lazaroff tells of massive deaths of birds due to pesticides (no doubt the spraying for West Nile produced many of these deaths):
"Last year, prompted by concern about the spread of West Nile Virus, New York State asked counties to report dead birds to its wildlife pathology laboratory. After receiving more than 80,000 birds, Dr. Ward Stone discovered that while the virus was a factor in some of the deaths, the leading cause was pesticide poisoning. Common lawn care chemicals were among the most common toxins."
American Bird Conservancy states: "Spraying pesticides in urban and suburban areas does little to reduce the spread of West Nile Virus, is extremely harmful to birds and may also harm the humans it is intended to protect."
Run-off from spraying from a variety of sources including ground and aerially vector spraying has had devastating effects upon aquafers, water supplies from lakes and rivers and aquatic life. Huge lobster and fish deaths were reportedly resulting from the massive ground and aerial spraying of the pesticide Anvil in New York and eastern areas.
Malathion, Scourge, Anvil and other pesticides should NEVER be sprayed near water or areas that could flow into aquifers or water resources -- streams, rivers, lakes. Human water supplies and fish and wildlife are at great risk of contamination.
WHAT MEASURES ARE APPROPRIATE FOR CONTROLLING MOSQUITOS?It is important to note that airborn or ground pesticide spraying does little to actually eradicate mosquitos. Larval control and eliminating breeding grounds (places with stagnant pools of water) are much more effective means for controlling mosquitos.
Beware of products containing pesticides -- including DEET -- found in many products being used to ward off mosquitos. Many of the tests in developing pesticides are based upon the effects upon a healthy adult male and any exposure to a child can be hazardous.
Avoid insecticides and herbicides around the house and yard. Combinations of common pesticides and fungicides can be much more potent and produce unsafe effects not exhibited by products used alone.
Many schools have already adopted a "No Pesticide Use" policy on school grounds and limit the types of chemicals used within the buildings.
**Extremely important: It has been proven that mixtures in the air can increase the toxic effects of commonly used pesticides by 100 or even a 1000 times. Combinations of aerial spraying of pesticides and insecticides/ herbicides and some types of fungicides can produce toxic levels that increase the risks over single exposures.
Consumers Union's Pesticide Policy Reform Project whose goal was to draw a roadmap for a long-term transition -- is making "biologically based" (rather than toxic chemical based) Integrated Pest Management the central focus of national pest management policy and investment patterns. While current IPM plans call for reducing the use of pesticides, elimination and replacement with non-harmful regimens must be the ultimate goal to ensure public health and safety.
PUBLIC RESPONSEAs the research continues (that which has not been suppressed), we are finding that pesticides are one of the most critical issues deciding our and our children's future.
Public response to this issue is a vital key to public health. Armed with good information, we can rally together, inform others and our local officials and the press that we will not tolerate this unnecessary and deadly exposure to chemical toxins.
It is our responsibility to share the facts and assist our city councils, public health officials, parks and environmental workers in making the safest choices in dealing with West Nile Virus and other health concerns.
Can we afford not to heed the warnings? It is now becoming most clear that we have more to fear from the WNV "cure" than the disease itself. It is now becoming imperative that we no longer allow unwarranted, ineffective and highly dangerous pesticide use around our homes, schools, public parks and water resources and environment.
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For More Information About Pesticides And Their Harmful Effects See:
Daily News
Updated on September 5, 2003Exposure to Agricultural Pesticides Linked to Female Infertility
(Beyond Pesticides, September 5, 2003)
According to the Manitowoc Herald Times Reporter, a recent study released September 3 shows that women who handle pesticides or fungicides in the two-year period before trying to have a baby significantly increase their chances of infertility. The researchers at Marshfield Clinic Research Foundation found that infertile women were 27 more times likely to have mixed and applied such chemicals than women who had become pregnant, according to chief researcher Anne Greenlee.
The exposure to many farm chemicals can affect a woman's production of eggs and how they mature and can influence whether an embryo can implant. "Women contemplating pregnancy and who may be exposed to pesticides on the job should consider precautions such as respirators, gloves and protective clothing to reduce unintentional exposures," Dr. Greenlee told the Manitowoc Herald Times Reporter.
The study, which began in 1997, involved 644 women ages 18 to 35, mostly from central Wisconsin, who had either sought treatment at Marshfield Clinic for infertility or sought prenatal care because they were in their first trimester of pregnancy and had conceived in less than 12 months of trying. The study included 233 women who lived on a farm, ranch or a rural home, she said. The rest lived in cities or villages. About 100 women in the study handled pesticides or fungicides, some in growing plants or gardens. For the two years before a couple began trying to conceive a child, the study identified mixing and applying herbicides and using fungicides as an occupational risk to becoming pregnant.
The study also found the following three lifestyle choices played a role: steadily gaining weight during adult life, which can affect the cycling of female hormones; exposure to passive cigarette smoke one to five hours a week, which can influence egg quality and whether the egg can be fertilized; and, having a male partner older than 41, which can affect sperm and semen quality.
The abstract is available at www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.
Herbicide Causes Problems on Golf Courses(Beyond Pesticides, September 4, 2003)
State officials in Florida are struggling to rectify the discovery of elevated arsenic levels in the soil and groundwater in South Florida golf courses, according to Naples Daily News. Some officials at the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) believe the pesticide monosodium methane arsenate (MSMA), commonly applied on golf courses to kill weeds, is the underlying cause of the excessive arsenic levels, and are calling for restrictions on the chemical's use. Others, including golf course lobbyists, agriculture officials and the pesticide industry, claim further research on MSMA's toxicity is needed before such restrictions are put in place.
The contamination was discovered several years ago and was reported in a Miami-Dade Department of Environmental Resources Management study, which found 37 percent of wells tested at municipal golf courses exceeded the recommended arsenic level of 50 parts per billion. 76 percent of the wells exceeded the federal Environmental Protection Agency standard of 10 parts per billion, set to go into effect in 2006. The arsenical herbicide MSMA is widely used on area golf courses, including where arsenic was detected. A 2002 DEP survey of Florida golf courses found that 96 percent reported using MSMA. Only 10 percent of the respondents, though, had systems in place to clean up arsenic; 1 percent had staff trained to do the job, and another 1 percent had contracted companies to clean up the chemical in case of a spill.
Golf course superintendents and an industry task force formed by MSMA manufacturers APC Holdings, KMG-Bernuth Inc. and Luxembourg-Pamol Inc. responded with their own statistics and scientific reports showing that arsenical herbicides bind with organic material in soil, which minimizes leaching. Joel Jackson, spokesman for the Florida Golf Course Superintendents Association, claimed that levels of arsenic detected are too low to be dangerous, stating, "Dose makes the poison."
In his estimation of the risk posed by exposure to arsenic, Jackson neglected to account for total body burden that humans bear. Most human beings contain within their body a number of chemicals from environmental contamination. As this load increases, so does the potential for chemical sensitivities and other health problems. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently released the second National Report on Human Exposure to Environmental Chemicals, which detected a total of 89 chemicals in the volunteers tested, including herbicides. The Environmental Working Group (EWG), in partnership with Mt. Sinai School of Community Medicine and Commonweal, released a similar study, Body Burden: The Pollution In People, in which subjects contained an average of 91 compounds, most of which did not exist 75 years ago.
MSMA, which in addition to golf courses is also registered in Florida for use at cemeteries, school playgrounds, parks and residential homes, is linked to adverse effects in neurotoxicity and is a sensitizer and irritant.
There are alternatives to this toxic herbicide, even for golf courses, which are among the most extensive users of pesticides. In fact, use of this and other herbicides can actually be detrimental not only to human health but to the greens themselves. Heavy pesticide use often results in dependency on increasingly larger amounts of pesticides as pests develop resistance to the chemicals, and beneficial insects and plants are inadvertently destroyed. Such chemical excess raises concern about the health and safety of those on the golf course, drift over neighboring communities, water contamination, and effects on wildlife and sensitive ecosystems. Dr. Samuel Epstein, an expert in environmental toxicology at the University of Illinois Medical Center, states, "Golfers are greatly exposed to pesticides. Direct contact encourages absorption of toxic materials through the skin and sometimes ingestion. Recently sprayed pesticides do volatize on hot days, leading to additional risk of inhalation." Some acute symptoms golfers and workers on the course may exhibit due to pesticide exposure include memory loss, fatigue, headaches, nausea and dizziness. Long-term concerns include birth defects, neurological disorders and certain types of cancer. A study commissioned by the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA) found that golf course superintendents have a higher than average rate of mortality due to cancer, including lung, brain and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Although the study did not establish a cause and effect relationship between pesticides and cancer, it did raise concerns. Dr. Burton Kross, who presented the study, stated, "In light of this study and other health-effect research about pesticides, a prudent strategy for golf course superintendents and their workers is to minimize their exposure to pesticides."
In creating a safer golf course, public education is critical. People walking the course have a right to know the potential dangers. When pesticide spraying takes place, signs should be posted notifying golfers and workers. Danger can be avoided even more so by practicing techniques that dodge the need for pesticides altogether, such as choosing a durable type of grass that will out-compete weeds and incorporating native plant species as part of the turf. The Firethorne Golf Club in Lincoln, NE, for example, uses prairie style roughs. An irrigation system, proper grass height and soil aeration, as well as continual testing of pH and nutrient levels also keeps pest problems in check.
For more information regarding golf and pesticides, see Beyond Pesticides' Golf Program Page.
Study Shows Crustaceans Control Mosquitoes(Beyond Pesticides, September 3, 2003)
University of Florida researchers have found success in using microscopic crustaceans called copepods, which love to eat mosquito larvae, to manage mosquitoes without using pesticides, according to an August 18th press release. Researchers state that they may be the most successful biological control as they kill up to 90% of the larvae and can survive year round.
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"We're using a native organism to control mosquitoes when they breed in standing water, usually in ponds, tires and other open containers," said Jorge Rey, a professor of entomology with the University of Florida's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences."By adding copepods to the water, we can kill mosquito larvae before they become adults that may spread West Nile and other diseases," he said. "Tests at our Florida Medical Entomology Laboratory in Vero Beach show that the copepods feed on mosquito larvae at an amazing rate, killing up to 90 percent of the larvae."
Copepod species Mr. Rey is testing, Macrocyclops albidus, is very aggressive toward its prey. In fact, the copepods will kill the mosquito larvae even when they are not looking for a meal. "They will attack the larvae and maim it so it's not going to live and then drop it," he said. "We don't know why they behave this way -- it might be a reflex action or they're just being mean."
Accroding to Mr. Rey, who has been testing the copepods for almost two years in discarded tires and other containers, they can survive year-round in any size body of fresh water. His research shows the copepods prefer young mosquito larvae, usually those not older than four days. But they will attack older larvae when the number of young larvae declines.
He said the copepod is native to Florida and common throughout the world and poses no danger to people, animals or plants. However, they don't exist in every body of water and therefore would have to be introduced in order to be effective on a wide scale.
"Once the copepods become established, they reproduce in high numbers for effective natural or biocontrol of mosquito larvae," Mr. Rey said. "Copepods survive so well because they feed on a wide range of insect prey in the natural environment.
"Over the years, a variety of other biological control agents ranging from viruses to fish have been tried for mosquito control, but nothing seems to work as effectively as this microscopic natural predator," Mr. Rey said.
Current restrictions on pesticides, along with the growing problem of insect resistance to many chemicals, make biocontrols such as the copepod increasingly attractive, Mr. Rey said. His research shows that the copepods are easy and inexpensive to raise and deliver to target areas. Large numbers of copepods can be reared in small plastic pools, plastic garbage cans and other inexpensive containers. The cultures do not need a lot of attention and are inexpensive to maintain. Copepods thrive in warm climates but can survive freezing temperatures for short periods. Pesticides commonly used for mosquito control do not kill the copepods.
Organisms to start the cultures can be collected in ponds and ditches and introduced into the containers with chlorine-free water. Wheat grains and Paramecium (naturally occurring microorganisms) can be used for food.
He said more research is needed on ways to distribute the copepods in the environment for effective mosquito larvae control. "Standard spray equipment can be easily modified to dispense copepods," Mr. Rey said. "Since they can withstand almost dry conditions, storage and transportation will not require large quantities of water."
For more information on mosquito management, see Beyond Pesticides's West Nile and Mosquito Management page.
Boulder, CO Opts Not To Spray for Mosquitoes(Beyond Pesticides, Septmber 2, 2003)
Because mosquito traps set within the city limits of Boulder over the past week have shown very low numbers of the vector mosquito species Culex pipiens and Culex tarsalis, that are known to carry the West Nile virus (WNv), the city decided not to spray, according to an August 28th city press release. Data from traps set for one night showed a total of 78 mosquitoes, 12 of which were the target species.
"In order to consider spraying, we are looking for a high number of trapped mosquitoes and then a high percent of those being the vector species," said Alice Guthrie, integrated pest management coordinator for the city of Boulder. "We think that the larval treatment that we have been conducting since earlier in the season may be contributing to the low numbers."
The city will continue setting traps within the city and if high concentrations of the WNv-carrying mosquitoes are discovered, a spray will be planned for that target area. Residents will receive phone notification 48 hours in advance if the spray is planned for their area. Residents can choose to opt out of the spray on their property by calling a city hotline number.
According to the Rocky Mountain News, county health departments have been urging Boulder, along with other municipalities to spray. Yet, "[h]undreds of Boulder residents have told officials they prefer the risk of West Nile fever to the risk of pesticides."
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posted by Sepp Hasslberger on Sunday September 7 2003
updated on Saturday September 27 2008URL of this article:
http://www.newmediaexplorer.org/sepp/2003/09/07/mosquito_control_or_bio_warfare.htm
