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California Secretary of Food and Agriculture Responds to California Progress Report Article on Moth Spraying

By A.G. Kawamura
Secretary
California Department of Food and Agriculture

I'd like to clarify a few points made in today's commentary concerning my department's plan to eradicate a ravenous pest from California. For more than a year now, in dozens of sessions and settings, I have met - in an open, transparent manner - with citizens and local officials about the moth eradication plans of the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the California Department of Food and Agriculture. And I remain committed to conducting this eradication program openly. Working with sound science and within the legislative process, we have established a system to protect California from invasive pests, diseases and other threats to our agriculture, environment and habitat. I look forward to working with legislators and constituents to continually improve this system.

California is no stranger to protests and political demonstrations, and we should all embrace such activities as vital to our public discourse. However, we should all collectively draw the line when misinformation is spread and causes unwarranted fear. Unfortunately, I feel that has happened in response to the campaign to eradicate the pest known as the light brown apple moth.

As we continue our efforts to eradicate the Light Brown Apple Moth, though, it has proven difficult to combat the steady supply of exaggerated or unsubstantiated claims that are already out there — including claims that the pheromone products used to eradicate this pest are untested and that we are all going to be guinea pigs.

I choose, instead, to focus on facts, and the fact is: A pheromone is simply a chemical signal that resembles a scent. Pheromone products have been used in the United States and around the world in agricultural and urban areas (including residential areas of Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Virginia and Wisconsin) for well over a decade, without incident. As recently as last year, more than 3 million acres in the United States were aerially treated with a moth pheromone product to disrupt the mating of gypsy moths.

For many years, environmentalists have urged the agricultural community to develop alternatives to conventional, toxic, "kill on contact" pesticides. Pheromones are that alternative. These pheromones don't even harm the moths; they merely mimic a signal "scent" naturally emitted by the female moth, thereby distracting the males so they cannot locate a mate and reproduce. It is a remarkably progressive approach.

Recently, the claim that residents got sick from past treatments has held the public's attention and has been the subject of demonstrations. Public health officials with three state departments thoroughly reviewed health claims submitted during and after the aerial pheromone treatments last year in Monterey and Santa Cruz counties, and could find no link between the claims and the treatments.

As the governor said at an event in Monterey, the spraying is safe, and "there is nothing that says otherwise." Still, in response to the concerns of legislators and constituents, our administration announced that the project will not proceed until at least mid-August to make sure there was time for additional testing to be completed. A battery of scientific tests, known as the “six-pack,” is being conducted by a private laboratory to assess any health affects that might be associated with the proposed treatments. These tests look for effects such as oral, dermal and inhalation toxicity, eye and skin irritation, and dermal sensitization.

A separate series of tests, being done in New Zealand where the apple moth has been for many decades, is designed to test the effectiveness of the pheromone products against the pest. All of this testing will be completed in advance of any aerial treatments, and we will proceed only if the test results show that the project can be conducted safely and effectively.

There is no shortage of misinformation about the aerial treatments. It is online, it is in print, and it is circulating freely. Fortunately, due diligence by agricultural officials and third parties has proven these various claims false.

Reviews by UC Davis, the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary and the Department of Fish and Game have debunked three more pieces of misinformation - that the treatments caused a red tide, poisoned the water, and even killed waterfowl. These scientific reviews confirmed that the pheromone treatments are nontoxic to marine life, and didn't contribute to an algal bloom ("red tide") or to the death of waterfowl.

I also hear a number of misleading and inaccurate references to describe a pheromone, including hormone, carcinogen, mutagen, endocrine disruptor and other scary-sounding descriptions. There is seemingly no end to the list of ailments supposedly caused by the treatments.

These unsupported claims conveniently overlook the fact that the federal Environmental Protection Agency and our state's Department of Pesticide Regulation have thoroughly reviewed and unanimously approved these products and their classification as a pheromone. Health agencies have found the same thing. In fact, the pheromone products we have used in this program are approved for treating organic crops - they are safe enough that the law states you don't even have to wait or wash them off after a treatment before you harvest or eat the produce.

Unfortunately, there will always be misinformation, but I urge the public to seek out scientific studies and historical data. And I will do my best to make sure that good information is available. I also acknowledge the concern and understand the skepticism of those who recall the age of Agent Orange and DDT, or even malathion treatments to eradicate the medfly. But those cases and this pheromone are very, very different things.

Let me be clear: As a public official, I am sworn to protect not just agriculture but also the public, the environment and the ecosystems that make California agriculture such a uniquely productive and sustainable resource. I take that responsibility seriously, and I vow to pursue only the safest, most environmentally friendly means available.

I implore everyone to rely on sound science and to shut the door on false information. The plans we have announced to eradicate the light brown apple moth, including aerially applied pheromone treatments, constitute the most health-conscious and environmentally sensitive eradication project we have ever undertaken in this state.

Governor Schwarzenegger appointed A.G. Kawamura as secretary of the California Department of Food and Agriculture in November 2003. Secretary Kawamura is a produce grower and shipper from Orange County, where his family grows strawberries, green beans and other specialty crops.

Posted on May 16, 2008

Comments

The "inert" ingredients in Checkmate ARE classified as toxins by the EPA.

The pheromone (+ "inert ingredients") will be dropped in small plastic capsules -- small enough to be inhaled in the lungs. The plastic contains BPA, a chemical banned in Canada.

The Light Brown Apple Moth is NOT a threat in its Native New Zealand, or in Hawaii where it has been for over 100 years.

Checkmate has not been tested on children.

The 6-pack is only for 30 minute contact, not long term effects.

Finally - Pheromone spraying has never been shown to eradicate the Light Brown Apple Moth.

Kawamura is the one missing the facts here. Go to www.stopthespray.org for complete information.

Posted by: temp at May 16, 2008 02:13 PM

Kawamura, we are sick of your lies and disinformation. You are a disgrace to the very tenets of democracy. We call for your resignation and criminal conviction for the following crimes:

http://www.lbamspray.com/LawsViolated.htm

Posted by: Poisoned at May 16, 2008 02:18 PM

On May 14th Secretary Kawamura spoke to farmers about the LBAM in the Central Valley town of Reedley. A local organic farmer who the Governor's office had asked to endorse the spraying, told the Secretary that he had looked at the science and had conferred with local UC entomologists about the LBAM and had concluded that the moth was not a threat to Central Valley farmers. (The CDFA's own website includes a study that shows that the LBAM moth and larvae cannot survive the Central Valley temperature extremes). The farmer asked the Secretary why he was in the Central Valley stirring up fear among the farming community when the LBAM was not a threat. The Secretary mumbled something about foothills and irrigation, but it was apparent that he had been asked a question that he couldn't answer.

How long the LBAM has been in the State is an important, unanswered question. Spray opponents believe that it has been here for 10 to 50 years, lives primarily in cool, moist climate zones, and is being controlled by natural predators. No crop damamge has ever been documented. How long does the CDFA believe the moth has been here? That's hard to know. The Reedley presentation was conducted by the CDFA's John Connell who stated that the LBAM had been present in the State since 2007. Yet, the Secretary himself stated in a local radio interview that the CDFA believes it has been here up to seven years.

From my perspective the case for the safety, efficacy, and rationale for the spraying of millions of people with an untested pesticide has not been made by the CDFA. The CDFA had the opportunity to make its case to two local courts (Santa Cruz and Monterey) and in both cases the judges rejected the CDFA's claim that the presence of the LBAM constitiuted an emergency that warranted the suspension of the California Environmental Quality Act. The judge in Santa Cruz said that the Secretary had "abused his authority" which is the courts way of saying that the Secretary had broken the law.

These are the real facts that make many thousands of us believe that the spraying is unwarranted and unnecessary.

Posted by: Tom Kelly at May 16, 2008 03:11 PM

Mr. Kawamura is right: there is a great deal of misinformation, and all of it is being spread by him and the CDFA.

To begin with, we are not just talking about a synthetic, lab-produced pheromone. There were many so called "inert" ingredients in the sprays used last fall, several of which are known toxins. And the sprays contained billions and billions plastic microcapsules -- the time-released delivery mechanism for the pheromones -- 50 percent of which were so small that people could breathe them deeply into their lungs. That's why there were many emergency room visits by people who went into respiratory arrest, including a one-year-old boy who almost died.

Did you test for this, Mr. Kawamura? Was there a single inhalation test done before hundreds of thousands of people were subject to a dangerous health experiment? The answer is no. And you are a liar to say otherwise. And you are misleading people by focusing on the "pheromone" which isn't really a pheromone and positioning it as some kind of natural substance, and not acknowledging the toxic inert ingredents and plastic microcapsules.

Mr. Kawamura and the CDFA, shame on you for ignoring the facts and the true science that establishes that everything you have done is reckless, dangerous and incompetent. Did state agencies interview a single person or doctor among the more than 600 who got sick? No. Their review of the illnesses was a joke. Everyone knows that. That's why their report is largely ignored by the press and everyone else who is even remotely objective about this matter.

Readers, please search on line for truly scientific statements made by expert entomologists who say this eradication program is a sham that will enver be effective, and medical doctors who validate it has been extremely dangerous. www.stopthespray.org, www.1hope.org, www.veganreader.com are good places to start, and there are many links from there. Also, please read the 643 illness complaints and judge for yourself if they are valid.

Posted by: one of hundreds made sick at May 16, 2008 03:22 PM

Twenty-three cities and two counties representing nearly 2 million people have passed resolutions against the program Mr. Kawamura advocates. Dozens of mayors have come out against it, as have state assembly members. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has expressed her concerns, too, and asked hard questions. So have U.S. Congressman Sam Farr and U.S. Congresswoamn Barbara Lee.

So, who are you going to believe? What does the CDFA's track record in the LBMA program and other programs say about their competence and Mr. Kawamura's integrity and leadership?

How much longer must we put up with assault on people's health and intelligence? Governor Schwarzenegger, this reflects on your administration. Do you want your legacy to be one of suffering and harm caused by crop-dusting millions of people in highly polulated cities with pesticides for an "emergency" that is not truly an emergency, and a pest that is considered just a minor nuisance in other parts of the world? Hasn't this gone far enough?

Posted by: spraymenot at May 16, 2008 03:35 PM

I don't need any more studies done by the same agencies that have used the cover of "science" only to bolster their decision to spray us.

I have experienced the effects of the spray first-hand and meet people who have been sickened by it every day. I've seen the dead birds. I've lived here long enough to know that this is not normal.

I don't want this for me or for my community.

Farm workers and farming communities are confronted with pesticide exposure every day. We have an opportunity here to fundamentally change the decision making process and give the people the right to decide. Government agencies it shows can't be trusted with this.

Posted by: Santa Cruz, CA at May 16, 2008 03:50 PM

CBS 5 News with Investigative Reporter, Anna Werner.

"Is Apple Moth Really A Risk"
http://cbs5.com/investigates/apple.moth.spraying.2.700753.html

"Apple Moth Pesticide Tests May Not Go Far Enough"
http://cbs5.com/investigates/moth.spraying.tests.2.714111.html

"Scientists Question Safety of Apple Moth Pesticide"
http://cbs5.com/investigates/apple.moth.spraying.2.718614.html

"Judge, Schwarzenegger Stop Apple Moth Spraying"
http://cbs5.com/investigates/apple.moth.spraying.2.708193.html

Even independent investigative journalists understand that what Kawamura says is a misrepresentation of the truth.

Posted by: bpm at May 16, 2008 03:55 PM

Dear Secretary:

Thank you for your response. Unfortunately this repeats the pattern of talking at the people rather than listening to them. We believe in the legislative process, and intend to change the law to ensure that people's rights are respected. Through the legislature if possible, or through the ballot initiative process if necessary.

I know that all of us have felt frustration with mis-information. That is why the dialog must now shift.

Information is important. And in the end, the people must decide. That is what the new strategy is about. We all support farmers and agriculture. And we also must honor the need for "due respect to the preciousness of human life and the right of individuals to determine what is done to their own bodies." (Calif. Health and Safety Code S. 24,171).

Respectfully,

John Russo

Posted by: John Russo at May 16, 2008 05:03 PM

John,
Thank you for your response to Kawamura.

Also, thank you for your dedication in embracing our constitutional rights to decide for ourselves.

Posted by: bpm at May 16, 2008 05:37 PM

Yes, Mr. Kawamura, you have met in many cities and met many citizens. What you haven't heard is that we said in answer "no". "We don't want the aerial spray, and now don't want twist ties, ground spray, or splattering.
We mostly may be first time protestors and demonstrators, but we are also moms, dads, children, professionals, students, workers, that know someone that was made ill or were sick ourselves directly related to the spray, so we know, beyond a doubt, that the aerial spray 100% made me and many sick, not, as you call it, unwarranted fear. Would you tell a person robbed at gun point, not to feel fear? It's happened. We were sprayed. Many got sick. We had already said "no - stop - we don't want to be sprayed!" Our civil rights protect us, and you wouldn't listen. We were sick, and you wouldn't listen then either. We were tested and we were the guinnea pigs, only you haven't called us up to make official reports. Hundreds of us wrote out forms, there's probably thousands that need an official office to report to. Do we have to wait 10 years for side effects or a new illness off the reaction we already had?
We don't care what you think the pheromone is suppose to do. We are talking about this case now, with Checkmate OLR-F and LBAM-F and what did actually happen with many illness, and many environmental alarm bells that went off that normally would alert anyone from EPA, CalEPA, OEHHA, DPR, APHIS that this was wrong and way off course. We don't care either what previous agriculturists have been telling you. Now, is the time for you to stop. Just stop listening to the mistruths being told to you, whoever is giving you all this erroneously information that is twisted. We want you to realize that you are the one that has the misinformation. We the people do not want to be sprayed. We were sick. Period. All the incorrect information given to you otherwise, you need to use common sense and just listen to the real truths.
The people of Monterey and Santa Cruz counties lived through it and know the truth. We say our civil rights were broken. There has been no crop damage. We do not want to get sprayed month for the next several years. The LBAM prefers the climate that is cooler. The LMAM has been here 10-15 years and natural predators seem to control it. Take the LBAM off the list. Remove the emergency, since there is none.
Listen. And you will hear the truth.
Kathy

Posted by: Kathy Smithe at May 17, 2008 05:35 PM

I don't know why Schwarzenegger appointed you - you are certainly not qualified for the job. Maybe you represent the finest of the new ideologues who have been appointed to government posts during the last eight years - like Brownie.
Whatever the reason, I have watched you lie to the people each time you have met with them. There is never a conversation, a back and forth between two people, there is only your robotic repetition of statements that never qualify as facts or truth. You make statements of omission hoping no one is smart enough to pick up on that. When questioned you look like a grade school child caught in a lie. In other words, you don't even lie too well. When I think of the State's representation in this LBAM matter, this charade of an emergency, all I can think of is, "Lies, damned lies and statistics".

Posted by: Mary Anne Gaskins at May 19, 2008 02:15 AM

Is there a reason that we are supposed to be listening to this man who is NOT a scientist or PhD trying to tell us that spraying us with untested chemical cocktails is safe? AG was placed in his position, not voted in. He seems to think this puts him in a position of not having to answer to the people. Guess what Mr. Secretary? You do have to give us answers, because we are forcing you to.

While you're busy throwing out quotes, Mr. Secretary, how about we remind you of one of your own? When a city council member in Alameda asked you if it would be safe for farmers in a field to remain there while CheckMate was being sprayed, your FILMED and DOCUMENTED answer, was "NO." So WHY, may I ask is it safe for URBAN heavily populated areas with NO CROPS!?!

Posted by: Na'tahne at May 20, 2008 01:17 AM

Posted by: Na'tahne at May 20, 2008 01:19 AM

Posted by: Na'tahne at May 20, 2008 01:21 AM

CA: Central Valley
Water "shortage" or secret water "re-routing?!?" Click on links below:

City Using "Planted" Witnesses - cover up

Also included - facts behind unsolved murder, covered up:

Facts behind unsolved murder - cover-up

See how this ties into the above:

End of businesses in Tower Dist. - a clue?

Posted by: Marla at June 13, 2008 12:48 PM

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