WashTimes

Side effects of the war on pesticides

Angela Logomasini

The growing death toll associated with the mosquito-transmitted West Nile virus has captured the nation's attention. Yet environmental activists maintain that public health officials are engaged in a massive overreaction to a small risk, leading localities to use highly dangerous pesticides. In reality, it's the environmentalists' attack on pesticides that poses the greatest risk.

Environmentalists have gone as far as to depict West Nile fatalities as unimportant.

"These diseases only kill the old and people whose health is already poor," says the New York Green Party in literature opposing pesticide spraying. West Nile is not serious because it only killed seven people in 1999, one activist told the Ottawa Citizen in 2000.

While risks to the average person of contracting the West Nile virus are in fact low, the risks are still real, deadly, and documented. Seven people recently died from West Nile in Louisiana and about a hundred became seriously ill. The fact that those individuals face a higher risk because they were elderly or possibly had health ailments — such as AIDS, emphysema or leukemia does not make their suffering less important. In contrast, the risks associated with proper use of pesticides are so low one can't document any lasting effects. There are no documented deaths from spraying.

Medical entomologists agree the pests are the more serious danger, and pesticides provide an important public health benefit.

"Contrary to the environmentalist view, public health campaigns that use insecticides against diseases have a remarkable record of public safety and a remarkable record of protecting humans from insect-borne diseases," says Dr. Donald Roberts, professor of tropical public health at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences.

"The primary goal at the onset of mosquito-borne disease epidemics is to eliminate the infective mosquitoes as quickly as possible," researchers at the National Institute of Medicine, an affiliate of the National Academy of Sciences, noted in a 1992 report. "Transmission can only be stopped by the effective application of a pesticide that kills adult mosquitoes," they explain. Yet environmental activists have succeeded in convincing policymakers to disregard the advice of public health officials, leading officials to halt spraying and advance pesticide bans.

"The practices of environmental advocacy groups are seriously degrading public health capabilities in the United States. Our public health threats are real, and growing," says Dr. Roberts.

In fact, many public officials decide not to spray rather than face criticism from activists. For example, shortly after discovering West Nile-infected mosquitoes in East Meadow and Hempstead, N.Y., in 2001, local health officials there followed the antispray advice of local activists. "We believe the risk of infection for residents remains quite low," Nassau County's Health commissioner told the press in early August 2001. But apparently, the risk was not low enough for East Meadow residents Adeline Bisignano and Karl Fink. Both became ill with the virus at the end of that same month and died the following November.

This year, public officials around the country continue to follow the antispray agenda. "It's not a serious problem," Darrell Williamson, former public works director in Alexandria, La., told the local paper at the end of July, explaining why the city does not have a mosquito-control program. It was just days later that public officials reported the seven deaths and a hundred illnesses in Louisiana, leading the governor to declare a state of emergency. Louisiana's state epidemiologist told the press he would not be surprised if the number of cases rises into the hundreds this year.

The environmentalist crusade against pesticides doesn't only impede our ability to address the West Nile virus. "There are many other similar mosquito-borne viruses which could just as easily be introduced into the USA, and some are a lot worse than West Nile," explained World Health Organization adviser Dr. Norman Gratz at a 2001 conference on the topic in Fairfax, Va.

Last year, for example, the mosquito-transmitted dengue fever appeared in Hawaii for the first time since 1943. In severe instances, dengue can produce the potentially deadly hemorrhagic fever, which can lead to abnormal bleeding and shock. Fortunately, local authorities controlled the outbreak using pesticides.

By the end of the outbreak, the state reported 119 cases. While the public need not panic about the West Nile virus, perhaps we should panic over activist efforts to undermine public health uses of pesticides. After all, West Nile is but one of many new and re-emerging diseases. Following environmentalist advice not only exposes the nation's most vulnerable individuals to higher health risks today, it may mean exposing everyone to greater threats tomorrow.

-- Anonymous, August 21, 2002

Answers

Put me down as one of those rabid environmentalists who doesn't believe there is anything yet known about WNV in this country that warrants this crusade.

-- Anonymous, August 21, 2002

I'm very suspicious of all this meself. I side with those who think the great rise in Parkinsons cases is due at least in part to indiscriminate herbicide/pesticide use. ).

-- Anonymous, August 21, 2002

[I well remember the mosquito-spray trucks that patrolled the streets of New Orleans (and I'm sure they still do) and especially the somewhat rural parishes surrounding New Orleans. The spray was so dense that if you came up behind a srpay truck or passed one on a two- lane highway it seemed like running into dense fog. Some of you may remember that Jayne Mansfield was killed in an accident when her car hit the back of a mosquito-spray truck, the driver unable to see it due to the dense fog produced by the sprayer. It came as a great surprise to learn that the West Nile virus cases came from the New Orleans area, specifically around Lake Pontchartrain. Now the houses around the lake are heavily high-rent. Some multi-million dollar homes there. You know and I know that those residents wouldn't put up with mosquito bites for one minute, that they insist on regular spraying by the city. I was intrigued by the statement above: This year, public officials around the country continue to follow the antispray agenda. "It's not a serious problem," Darrell Williamson, former public works director in Alexandria, La., told the local paper at the end of July, explaining why the city does not have a mosquito-control program. I did a bit of searching and found a slightly different perspective from the Alexandria folks. Apparently, they don't believe spraying is effective, not that West Nile isn't a serious problem (which was a quote from a former public works director and not a health department official, which would be more appropriate. Here's more explanation from an article in the local Alexandria paper (Town Talk) published last June June.]

Vernon Parish Police Jurors vote for mosquito-control study [Yeah, I know, in Louisiana a parish Police Jury is the same as a county government]

Carita Jordan / Staff Reporter

Posted on June 19, 2002

LEESVILLE - The Vernon Parish Police Jury has voted to hire the Louisiana Mosquito Control Association to determine what the parish needs in way of a mosquito abatement program.

Police jurors allocated $6,000 to $8,000 for the study.

Juror Sam Fulton noted parish officials have been talking about a mosquito abatement program since last year.

"We heard of cases around the parish last year, and we wanted to take precautions this year," he said.

The vote came Monday following the revelation that a 7-year-old Vernon Parish girl may be the victim of a rare form of encephalitis, a state health officer said.

The girl may be the first reported human case of encephalitis in the state this year, said Dr. John Naponick, medical director and regional administrator of the Region 6 Office of Public Health.

Blood test results are being awaited in the case, first reported June 9, he said.

The girl, whose name was not released, may be suffering from LaCrosse, or California, encephalitis, transmitted to mammals by an infected mosquito.

Encephalitis is an inflammation of the brain caused by a virus.

"What we see here is a rare type of encephalitis," Naponick said about the LaCrosse variety.

There were only 70 reported cases of LaCrosse encephalitis in the United States last year, he said.

LaCrosse encephalitis usually afflicts children, while St. Louis encephalitis afflicts adults, Naponick said.

St. Louis encephalitis was prevalent in Ouachita Parish last year, especially in the Monroe area. Four people died from the virus in that area and 62 others were hospitalized.

"All of the experts are suggesting that we're going to see the same amount of encephalitis cases this year," said Bob Johannessen, a spokesman for the state's Department of Health and Hospitals.

It is unlikely a high number of encephalitis cases will occur in Monroe this year, Naponick said.

"Historically, the virus has an 8- to 10-year hit in an area," he said.

Naponick is concerned about an outbreak in Rapides or Lafayette parishes.

"Every major city in the state has an abatement program except for Alexandria and Lafayette," he said.

The Rapides Parish Police Jury recently voted against funding an abatement program because of a lack of money.

Naponick said he would contact Alexandria Mayor Ned Randolph to talk about a citywide abatement program.

Darrell Williamson, Alexandria director of public works, said the city has cut trees and cleaned vacant lots in its abatement efforts.

"Spraying has little effect," he said, referring to insecticides.

"If we spray here, it won't do any good," Williamson said. "What about Pineville? We need to spray all over the parish in order to make it work. This should be a parish program."

In April, Allen Parish residents passed a 10-year, 8-mill mosquito- control tax to fund an abatement program in its parish.

-- Anonymous, August 21, 2002

Guess what? Alex Town Talk:

City puts bite on mosquitoes

Suzan Manuel / Staff Reporter

Posted on August 21, 2002

Hundreds of mosquitoes met a foggy death Tuesday during the first round of pesticide spraying to control the West Nile virus in Rapides Parish.

Two trucks, provided by the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry, sprayed a five-mile area around Tanglewood Drive, where a dead West Nile-infected blue jay was found earlier this month.

So far, the bird is the only confirmed case of West Nile in Rapides Parish. The five-mile radius is standard procedure when dealing with dead, infected animals whose point of origin is unknown.

Five additional trucks will spray areas in Alexandria and Pineville on Aug. 27. Tuesday's spraying, using the chemical Aqua Reslin, was paid for by the Rapides Parish Police Jury.

Each truck can spray 60 miles in four hours. Two Alexandria city employees rode with the drivers to give them directions and make spraying easier.

Dr. John Naponick, regional public health director, said the chemical was safe, but advised people to stay out of the spray's path.

"All chemicals have been tested and are considered safe if applied in the appropriate ways and amounts," he said.

The mosquito spraying is the same as having someone come spray for bugs in your house. It's not dangerous, but it's wise to stay out of the way, he said.

"You don't hang around when the bug man is spraying," he said.

The truck drivers also have been instructed to stop spraying when they encounter people on the streets, as a further safety measure.

"We are going to be as responsible and protective of public health as we can be," Naponick said.

As the drivers worked around Tanglewood Drive, the Alexandria City Council passed an emergency ordinance granting $15,000 to purchase two sprayers and insecticides by next week.

Mayor Ned Randolph made the emergency ordinance official when he signed it at Tuesday night's City Council meeting.

"People are dying right now," Randolph said, noting that a nonemergency ordinance usually takes two weeks to pass between the time it is introduced and the time that it is voted on. "We hope nobody here gets sick and dies, but we also know that mosquitoes continue to breed. It's imperative that we remedy the problem."

The mayor also addressed the Rapides Parish School Board at its meeting Tuesday. He vowed to work with the school district to eliminate pests around city schools.

Ditches near schools inside Alexandria will be sprayed as part of the city's plan, he said.

"We are all in this together," Randolph said.

The district will not pursue spraying all school campuses; however, spraying football stadiums 24 hours before football games is likely, said Randy Patterson, district facilities supervisor. Nighttime activities are more at risk for mosquito problems.

He hopes the district can enter into an agreement with the city to have stadiums inside and outside the city limits sprayed for a "nominal expense" to individual maintenance funds.

The board will discuss that option at Monday's board meeting.

Naponick said the school district should focus on eliminating where mosquitoes breed.

"The mosquitoes that are going to bite you are probably the ones you breed yourselves," Naponick said.

Patterson has grass-cutting crews working overtime to keep school lawns low.

But overtime was a central point of discussion for the City Council when it met as the Public Works Committee late Tuesday afternoon.

Councilman Charles Smith Jr. said, "We need to know if there is enough money to pay for overtime or more workers."

However, Harold Chambers, the mayor's executive assistant, said, "There will be no money spent right now."

The committee concentrated its discussion on whether to set aside the $15,000 needed to purchase the sprayers and insecticides. Overtime issues will be discussed at another time.

Smith also emphasized that spraying should be a parishwide effort. He further questioned Public Works Director Errol Dorsey about the city's ability to spray, to cover canals and to reduce the amount of standing water in the city.

"We need people," Dorsey said. "When we get the equipment and chemical in, we will need a qualified person to purchase and mix the chemical."

Reporters Eugene Sutherland, Emily Peters and Carita Jordan contributed to this story.

-- Anonymous, August 21, 2002

I have noticed that none of the recent articles about WNV spraying specify which chemicals are being used, even when the potential toxicity of the chemical is one of the issues discussed.

-- Anonymous, August 21, 2002

Saw an article about WNV found here in Durham and surrounding counties (in birds) and there was reference to "biological controls." Whatever that means. Don't think they mean dragonflies.

-- Anonymous, August 23, 2002

They're spraying in my county.

I'm actually hopeful that we'll have a "normal" winter. If we have the requsite amount of sub-zero days, we won't have an over population of bugs next summer, which will mean less spraying.

I'm not crazy about the spray, either. In more normal years, the bats usually take care of the insect problem, but there are so many of them this year, that the little brown bats can barely keep up.

-- Anonymous, August 24, 2002

watch out for bats, they can carry rabies.

-- Anonymous, August 24, 2002

I am not particularly an environmental activist, but IMO the West Nile threat is so blown out of proportion as to be almost comical. Granted, death from something like this is not nice, but the chances of getting West Nile Disease and dying seems rather the same as being struck by lightening and dying. Then they want to bring up dengue fever as another reason. I had dengue fever while in Haiti......not pleasant to say the least, but really not very high odds of dying from it. I would venture to say that, even with this being the off season for flu, more people have died do to side effects from the flu each WEEK compared to the overall deaths from WNV.

-- Anonymous, August 24, 2002

Yes, Barefoot, I know, but given the huge numbers of insects they eat, I leave them alone. My current house is very tight -- no bat invasions, yet.

Diane (?) (can't see your post -- sorry if I misspelled your name), I'm also having my doubts as to how much of a problem WNV really is, especially since the state is not offering money to the poor counties in OH to spray for it. If it were really dangerous, they would come up with aid packages, which they've done with other issues.

-- Anonymous, August 24, 2002

I think TPTB have to make a big thing out of it in large part for liability reasons. Also, for those old buggers with compromised immune systems (like moi), it's prudent to take minimum precautions, such as not going out when mozzies are most active and using catniup spray to discourage their unwanted advances.

-- Anonymous, August 24, 2002