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GBlist: Re: Malathion woes
Bonnie et al:
Malthion is a dangerous compound, which your indirect exposure testifies to.
I particpate in a public comment period for a proposed Medfly Eradication
Program here in Arizona. Despite strong comments from (past) soil remediation
professionals like myself, and a warning from the foremost authority on
Integrated Pest Management (IPM) that such a program could potentially
destroy ALL agriculture (especially lettuce) in AZ, they approved the program
anyway.
What we have here is an addiction to the same 'silver bullet' mentality that
cripples our health care system, and all aspects of our existence that are
$-driven. It has become apparent to me that even more than the dollars, the
egos of those involved are the REAL objects of protection. Who would be
stupid enough to do something as ridiculous as try to eliminate one pesky
little bug (medfly) and end up with an entirely more difficult situation
(white flies).
It is also unconscionable (sp?) that any Gov entity would not present both
sides of the Malathion/health debate, despite its poor effectiveness at
pest-managment. I would strongly encourage some kind of community gathering
(perhaps at your library) to document the health effects experienced your
community. It seems quite possible the spraying could be halted until the
publics concerns are researched and addressed.
P.S. I wouldn't recommend composting of Malathion-contaminated organics
without reviewing research on breakdown temperatures. I've been working with
closed-vessel anaerobic digesters, and feel they would be safer and more
effective.
Good luck,
Tony Novelli
Tucson, AZ
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