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Read the Label and Conduct an Environmental Review Before Spraying Californians With Pest Control Chemicals
By John A. Russo
In California, something as innocuous as trimming a tree or putting a new façade on a commercial building can trigger a state Environmental Quality Act review.
But state officials are poised to launch a fleet of airplanes to blanket Oakland and the Bay Area with pest-control chemicals - and they want to do it before completing a California Environmental Quality Act review. In other words: spray first and ask questions later.
This is not only ridiculous on its face, it is an unnecessarily risk to public health.
Despite growing opposition from cities, legislators and the public, the state seems determined to spray a new pesticide called CheckMate to get rid of the light brown apple moth, a species that farmers consider a threat to crops.
The state says it will conduct an environmental impact report, but only after planes have rained tons of the spray on our homes, schools, businesses and reservoirs. Meanwhile, the Department of Food and Agriculture is silent on some of the most basic questions surrounding the plan. The Department can't tell us how much of the chemical it will take to rid the state of apple moths, or how many years the state will continue to spray.
CheckMate, a synthetic pheromone designed to confuse the moths' mating behavior, has already been sprayed in Monterey and Santa Cruz counties. Afterwards, hundreds of people reported respiratory problems and other health issues.
State officials insist that CheckMate is completely safe for humans, and say the health complaints are probably just a coincidence. They claim there is no evidence that spraying caused people to become ill.
Of course, without an appropriate environmental review, there is also no assurance that it didn't. As the Oakland City Council noted in its resolution against the state's plan, spraying pesticide has often caused unintended, unpredictable and serious human health effects.
As it happens, the company that makes CheckMate is owned by a wealthy agri-business tycoon who has contributed hundreds of thousands of dollars to the campaigns of state officials. But that's probably just another coincidence.
Many Californians clearly remember helicopters spraying Malathion to get rid of the Mediterranean fruit fly in previous decades. Unfortunately, that fiasco damaged the state's credibility on the issue of pesticides and public health. It's not enough for state officials to say, "Trust us, it's safe," when it comes to spraying massive amounts of chemicals into our air, water and food.
Oakland and other Bay Area cities are now working on an aggressive legal strategy to postpone the aerial spray program until the state does a real environmental impact study.
The concerns of our state's agriculture industry are real and ought to be considered seriously. This is not about opposing all pesticide use. This is simply about expecting the state to live up to its most basic responsibilities - protecting public health, conducting the public's business openly and transparently, and acting in a manner that prudently balances all of the interests at stake.
We deserve more than just platitudes and colorful brochures. Without an environmental review, Governor Schwarzenegger and Agriculture Secretary Kawamura should put CheckMate back on the shelf. When they do so, let's hope they consider the warning label: "Keep out of reach of children. Avoid contact with skin, eyes or clothing. Potentially harmful if swallowed. or inhaled."
John A. Russo is Oakland’s first elected City Attorney. He was re-elected to a second, four-year term in March 2004. He is not related to Frank Russo, as far as we have been able to determine.
Comments
Thank you, John, for being responsible.
Posted by: Dorsey McTaggart at April 17, 2008 07:50 AM
Per CDFA's own Situation reports posted on their website, when comparing the number of moths trapped on 11/1/07, just prior to dumping tons of toxic pesticides on the Santa Cruz area where I live, and as of 4/1/08, there was a 41% increase in the number of moths trapped! The pesticide spray doesn't even work. It just makes people sick and killed the birds including eight brown pelicans, an endangered species! Per the CDFA, these happenings were also just "coincidences."
Posted by: Jerilyn Bock at April 17, 2008 08:45 PM
For those that have educated themselves about the light brown apple moth ground and aerial pesticide spray's ingredients, microencapsulated plastic delivery method, the human and all living things health side effects, environmental issues, everyone should get educated and involved in stopping this insidious spray that has already made many people sick in Monterey and Santa Cruz Counties.
Posted by: bpm at April 18, 2008 04:31 PM
What a bunch of crap!!!
Posted by: Jim at May 13, 2008 12:22 PM
What's your next cause, Jerilyn. The dreaded "Twist-tie?"
Posted by: Jim at May 14, 2008 11:55 AM
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