The Portland Alliance, August 2003
Oregon is one of only four states left unaffected by West Nile
Virus, a disease spread by mosquitoes which has been found in
Washington and California. Anticipating the arrival of West Nile Virus
in Portland, the Multnomah County Vector and Nuisance Control has pest
control plans which include spraying toxic pesticides aimed at killing
adult mosquitoes ("adulticides"). To its credit, the Multnomah County
Health Department has been committed to using preventive measures such
as cleaning up standing bodies of water and using larvicide to decrease
mosquito populations. However, as the threat of West Nile Virus moves
closer, a departure from the cautious application of pesticides is
being considered more seriously.
West Nile Virus has been painted by national media as an exotic
and lethal disease, but it has not become the plague originally feared.
Since the introduction of West Nile Virus into the U.S. in 1999, only
284 people have died from it. By contrast, about 36,000 Americans die
every year from the flu virus. Of course, even one death is of serious
concern and everything that can be safely done to prevent future deaths
should be done, but spraying adulticides is not an effective use of
public resources and may be more destructive than helpful.
Spraying adulticides is the least effective means of mosquito
control. The spray often does not hit targeted mosquitoes since the
chemicals must make contact with the insect, and mosquitoes are
excellent at finding nooks to hide in. Moreover, the chemicals have no
residual mosquito killing effects and do nothing to kill mosquito
larvae. Spraying pesticides for adult mosquitoes destroys natural
mosquito predators like spiders and dragonflies, and mosquitoes that
survive spraying may become pesticide-resistant, longer lived, more
aggressive and have an increased prevalence of the virus in their
bodies. Another environmental effect of spraying includes contaminants
in rivers and streams which are deadly to a variety of species,
including fish, aquatic invertebrates and birds. Research shows many health problems associated with pesticide
exposure, including nausea, vomiting, runny nose, chest pain, and
difficulty breathing. Long-term health effects can also result from
pesticide exposure. For example, research has linked pesticide exposure
to a variety of serious illnesses including cancer, birth defects and
injuries to the immune system, reproductive system and endocrine
system. Pyrethroid pesticides, the type of adulticide the county would
most likely use, are especially dangerous to asthmatics. The effects of
pesticide spraying in New York during the past few years are certainly
alarming; five truck drivers who applied pesticides in New York City
for WNV control in 2000 became severely ill with fatigue, joint pain,
hair loss, erectile dysfunction, nausea, and asthma. According to the
New York State Department of Health, in 2000 more people in New York
City got sick from the pesticide spraying for mosquito control than
from the West Nile Virus.
In light of the damaging evidence, cities and counties around
the country are reviewing their spraying policies. Government health
officials in Fort Worth, Texas and Washington, DC have decided not to
spray adulticides even though West Nile Virus has been found within
city limits. Health officials in Fort Worth weighed the environmental
impact and danger to humans against the results achieved by widespread
spraying and concluded, "The potential inhalation hazard to the general
population does not seem worth the risk of killing a few mosquitoes." ( www.fortworthgov.org)
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) says the most
effective way to control mosquitoes is for municipalities and private
property owners to clean up standing bodies of water and other breeding
sites. Larvicides, which kill mosquitoes before they hatch, are the
second most effective means for controlling mosquitoes. Using natural
predators such as fish that eat mosquito larva also contributes
non-invasively to mosquito control.
Please use your voice as a concerned citizen to thank the
Multnomah County Vector and Nuisance Control for the preventive
measures that have successfully kept West Nile Virus from coming to
Oregon, and remind them of the great risks and small rewards that come
with spraying pesticides to control mosquitoes.
Please Contact
Dr. Garry Oxman
Health Officer for Multnomah County
503-988-3674
gary.l.oxman@co.multnomah.or.us
Multnomah County Commissioners:
Diane Linn, Chair 503-988-3308
c/o Deborah Bogstad, Board Clerk
Deborah.l.bogstad@co.multnomah.or.us
(Ask her to forward your concerns to all the County Commissioners)
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