News from NOFA/Massachusetts
NOFA/Mass on 2006 aerial spraying of pesticide on southeast MassachusettsOrganic farming organization calls for more effective mosquito management and end to spraying
Sept. 2, 2006 — Organic farmers demand a halt to the state’s aerial spraying of southeastern Massachusetts with the pesticide Anvil®, which has known human health effects and can kill mosquito predators and other non-targeted species. Instead, NOFA/Mass. (the Massachusetts chapter of the Northeast Organic Farming Association) calls on the state to implement more effective and healthful means to prevent outbreaks of mosquito-borne diseases such as Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE). Two recent cases of EEE, one fatal, underline the urgent need for the state to use best management practices, such as those successfully employed by organic growers and the state of Connecticut, to address this threat. The spraying was conducted first on the night of Aug. 8, and then again on the nights of Aug. 22, 23, and 24 by planes under contract with the state government. The state Department of Public Health recommended the first spraying based on the levels of Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) virus in trapped mosquitoes, and the second spraying after discovering two human cases of EEE in the spray area and finding more mosquitoes carrying the virus responsible for the disease. EEE is primarily spread back and forth between mosquitoes and birds, but horses and humans are also at risk. The pesticide sprayed was a formulation of Anvil®, a synthetic pyrethroid. The formulation used contained 10% of the active ingredient Sumithrin, and 10% of Piperonyl Butoxide (PBO), a synergist. The label says the product is toxic to fish and bees. It is not approved for use on food crops, fodder crops, or pasture and grazing areas. Farmers and gardeners were ordered not to harvest any crops for 48 hours after the spraying, and to keep animals off pasture for that long. The active ingredient degrades in dry, sunny conditions within one to two days, but in flooded conditions can last from several weeks to two months. The state attempted to exempt surface drinking water supplies, certified organic farms, fish hatcheries and priority habitats for rare and endangered species from the sprayed areas, but subsequent field reports cite numerous problems with mapping errors regarding the exact location of organic fields and indicate that at least one priority habitat was sprayed by mistake. NOFA/Mass. opposes the spraying on two grounds.
1. More effective means are available. Reducing mosquito populations and contact with mosquitoes is most effective--and cost-effective--when a multi-pronged approach is used:
In the attempt to reduce potential outbreaks of EEE, the state is choosing to spray a toxic chemical on the general public. The side effects of synthetic pyrethroids are clear : hyperexcitability, prostration, slow respiration, nausea, cramps, vomiting, fatigue, dizziness, headaches, tremor, ataxia, unconsciousness and paralysis. Sumithrin is an endocrine disruptor—increasing the level of estrogen in the body—and has thus been linked with breast cancer. PBO has been classified by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as a carcinogen (cancer-causing chemical). Human physical variability and susceptibility to chemical contamination has only recently become understood. Spraying pesticides on hundreds of thousands of people is not enlightened public policy. The state has made no effort to monitor the growth of mosquito resistance to pyrethroids or the impact of spraying on other species, and continues to treat mosquitoes as if they were primarily subject to our control – a conceit that ignores basic ecological realities. NOFA/Mass believes that the Commonwealth of Massachusetts should invite all stakeholders to the table when fashioning its next mosquito intervention plan to determine the most effective means to address this health threat. Past ramifications of mosquito spraying underline the need for a range of stakeholders and ecosystem dynamics specialists to discuss this challenge and the cost-benefits of various approaches. 1. http://www.beyondpesticides.org/infoservices/pesticidefactsheets/toxic/pyrethroid.htm This page was last modified on March 24, 2008 at 9:25:50 AM. |
• Optimizing water flow in stagnant swamps and wetlands to encourage water movement that prevents mosquito egg-laying; this also improves water quality and improves habitat
2. Organic growers work daily with the complexity of nature. Broad, non-specific application of a poison can have larger consequences that pose more health dangers than it combats. Not only mosquitoes will die from the poison, but also their predators: fish, birds, spiders, dragonflies and other insects. But the predators will not come back as quickly as the mosquitoes, altering the balance of nature for at least the rest of 2006. And those new mosquitoes may evolve a resistance to pyrethroids. Should we have a hot, wet September and October, at what price have we eliminated our natural allies in disease control?