I'm reminded of the 1950's...TV newscasts showing clouds of DDT sprayed on
a clueless public, compromising their health and contaminating the environment
for decades to come, as Rachel Carson writes "Silent Spring." But the time
is now, other toxic pesticides have joined the ranks in our wayward war against
mosquitoes, and the Rachels of today are drowned out by a media rushing to sound
the alarm, rather than report the news.
And the news is - pesticides pose a much greater health hazard than the West
Nile virus.
DEET, Anvil, and other toxic pesticides are aggressively promoted to protect
the public from a mosquito bite that appears to be, statistically, less dangerous
than a dog bite or bee sting. And the CDC seems to agree. On its website
it says, "Human illness from West Nile virus is rare, even in areas where the
virus has been reported. The chance that any one person is going to become ill
from a mosquito bite is low."
Since 1999 only a handful of deaths per year have been associated with West
Nile, even though the virus has been found in 33 states.
The fact that this "health crisis" has been exaggerated, and that chemical
spraying is usually the least effective yet most toxic way to control mosquitoes,
has deterred some state officials, but not others. The New York State Health Department
backed away from recommending wholesale spraying after finding that more people
got sick from the pesticides than from the virus. However, Louisiana has just
asked for $17 million in federal aid, and Mississippi is following suit. There's
no word yet on how the money is to be allocated, but rest assured the pesticide
companies stand to benefit.
Meanwhile, some citizen groups are taking matters into their own hands. The
No Spray Coalition is suing New York City to stop pesticide spraying in their
neighborhoods.
There's a good deal of information on government and other websites about the
toxic effects of pesticides, but a comprehensive picture of the specific pesticides
and issues involved in the West Nile campaign is well laid out in a report called
"Overkill: Why Pesticide Spraying for West Nile Virus May Cause More Harm Than
Good" by the Maine Environmental Policy Institute (MEPI) and the Toxics Action
Center.
In short, they report that these pesticides offer a toxic legacy: short-
and long-term respiratory problems, immune and nervous system disruption, cancer,
and reproductive and learning disorders. That covers just about everything you'd
never want to get.
The "Overkill" report also emphasizes the association between outdoor pesticide
sprays and neurological damage, stating, "A report of pesticides and childhood
brain cancers published in Environmental Health Perspectives (a publication of
the National Institutes of Health) revealed a strong relationship between brain
cancers and pyrethroids used to kill fleas and ticks." Anvil, a pyrethroid, is
a popular pesticide used by state agencies to control mosquitoes.
The use of DEET in mosquito repellents is extremely troubling. DEET has been
associated with seizures and several cases of toxic encephalopathy (encephalitis)
in children, including three deaths, according to the Extension Toxicology Network
at Cornell University.
The battle against West Nile is supposed to prevent a virus that can cause
encephalitis. It appears the cure can cause the disease. That would be ironic,
if it weren't so tragic.
Dr. Mohamed Abou-Donia, a research scientist at Duke University Medical Center,
whose studies have established a link between DEET and neurological damage in
animals, warns parents in a recent Environmental News Service article, "Never
use insect repellents on infants, and be wary of using them on children in general.
Never combine insecticides with each other or use them with other medications.
Even so simple a drug as an antihistamine could interact with DEET to cause toxic
side effects. Don't spray your yard for bugs and then take medications. Until
we have more data on potential interactions in humans, safe is better than sorry."
Meanwhile, state and federal agencies, including the Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), are encouraging the public
to use mosquito repellents containing DEET. Although the CDC warns parents to
avoid applying repellent on children less than 2 years old, the EPA and other
state agencies are not giving that caution. The EPA instead advises, "Do not allow
children to handle the products, and do not apply to children's hands. When using
on children, apply to your own hands and then put it on the child."
Have these people ever met a child? Children touch everything and everybody,
including themselves. And then they put their pudgy little fingers directly into
their mouths.
While the battle plan's objective is to target the mosquitoes that carry West
Nile, the strikes won't be 'precision' and the collateral damage could be vast.
Pesticides and larvicides can impact fish, insects, animals, and humans. And although
the public has been told to lather up with DEET, spray pesticides, and eliminate
standing water, little has been said about using select plants, birds, bugs, fish,
and amphibians - gifts of nature that help control mosquitoes.
It seems we're traveling in a deadly circle. Spraying for West Nile, while
we're gassing ourselves. Falling for a health scare, when the real scare is the
alleged cure. And the real cure can be found in the natural world we're attacking.
Welcome to the 1950's. Rachel must be rolling in her grave.
Lynn Landes is a freelance journalist specializing in environmental issues.
She is a weekly commentator on the BBC's Radio Five Live and reports environmental
news for DUTV in Philadelphia, PA (EcoTalk.org).
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