CONCERNED PHYSICIANS AND SCIENTISTS speak warn about spraying pesticides on urban populations


AN OPEN LETTER
BY CONCERNED PHYSICIANS AND SCIENTISTS

STOP THE INDISCRIMINATE “FRIENDLY FIRE” PESTICIDE SPRAYING

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

MASSIVE CHEMICAL PESTICIDE SPRAYING AGAINST MOSQUITOES
CARRYING WEST NILE VIRUS WILL HAVE MANY SERIOUS
DETRIMENTAL CONSEQUENCES, ESPECIALLY ON HUMAN HEALTH.
THE RAMIFICATIONS OF SUCH ACTION WILL RESULT IN FAR-
REACHING PUBLIC HEALTH, FINANCIAL, LEGAL AND OTHER
PROBLEMS.

INDISCRIMINATE SPRAYING OF PESTICIDES, ESPECIALLY IN HEAVILY
POPULATED URBAN AREAS, IS FAR MORE DANGEROUS TO HUMAN
HEALTH AND THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT THAN A RELATIVELY
VERY SMALL RISK OF WEST NILE VIRUS.

Much more...(pdf)

Quotes

Mosquito Quotes

In fact, Americans were 10 times more likely to be struck dead by lightning in 1999 than to die from West Nile virus." Michael Jamison, July 24, 2005.
"As the virus increased its range across the country in subsequent years, the risks likewise increased. Last summer, about 100 died from West Nile nationwide. That's a one in 2.9 million risk . . . By comparison, the National Safety Council reports that about 500 Americans - one in every half-million - die in their beds each year, accidentally strangled by their own covers . . . A whopping 1,600 - or one in 180,000 - fall fatally down their stairs. More than 6,000 die crossing the street . . . Which only goes to prove that if you can make it out of bed, down the steps and to the corner bus stop, mosquitoes are pretty much the least of your worries . . . A rational assessment of risk, then, hints that the hype about West Nile has been bigger than the threat." (emphases ours) Michael Jamison, July 24, 2005.
"And even if one of those bugs finds you, you'll probably never know it. More than 99 percent of people infected don't actually get sick. Of the 1 percent who do, only a small fraction get seriously ill. And of that small fraction, an even smaller fraction will die." Michael Jamison, July 24, 2005.
"The District does not expect to spray for adult mosquito control for many reasons. Washington, DC has the highest asthma rate in the country (2.5 times the national average). Aerosolized pesticides can trigger asthma and aggravate respiratory conditions." See the DC final plan for 2004.
"While some welcome spraying for mosquitoes, the fact is that spraying will not eliminate the threat of mosquito-borne illnesses. This is specifically why the city of Fort Worth discontinued its spraying program in 1991 . . . thousands of Fort Worth residents living with respiratory problems such as asthma would be in danger of an outset of symptoms. Asthma and Allergies are two of the top five health problems for Fort Worth residents, according the 1998 Community Needs Assessment. The potential inhalation hazard to the general population does not seem worth the risk of killing a few mosquitoes." See the report from the Fort Worth District.

Stop West Nile Spraying Now

Stop West Nile Spraying Now: "'Indiscriminate spraying of pesticides, especially in heavily populated urban areas, is far more dangerous to human health and the natural environment than a relatively small risk of West Nile Virus.' -- Concerned Physicians and Scientists "