Here's an advanced notice/warning for some of you. Especially, for those whom are prone to asthma attacks . . . Please read the following article.

http://www.scrippsnews.com/node/30749

 

They can spray all they want but they ain't getting rid of me!

Thanks for the warning, Andy. I'll let my bro know.

 

whoo hooo! not the south bay

 

imma wear my asian sars mask now

 

I wonder how east East Bay is. I might be safe after all.

 

you are far...

 

awww frick

 

For now. I'll be looking to buy a house closer to the aerial pesticide spraying zone so I don't feel so left out.

 

lol silly

 

Well, with regard to our personal safety/health, the article doesn't read so well for some. The following and other parts of the article should raise many eyebrows.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture obtained an "emergency exemption from registration" from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency that allows the agency to use the pesticide in aerial sprays over California cities. Because of that exemption, the spraying program isn't subject to state approval, according to representatives of the state Department of Pesticide Regulation.

 

This seems a little overblown to me. Take a look at the label for the product (it's the LBAM-F variant of the Checkmate product family):

USDA web site - http://www.aphis.usda.gov/plant_heal...ate%20LBAM.pdf

CA Dept. of Food and Agriculture - http://www.cdfa.ca.gov/phpps/pdep/lb...AM_F_label.pdf

It looks like it's approved for use in California, though not yet nationwide. Assuming that the state has approved the labeling (which seems likely, as drug/chemical labeling generally tends to be subject to regulation), then the state has cleared the product for areas including "all residential and municipal areas."

As far as the federal side goes, it seems probable that the product is still undergoing the approval process.

I'm not trying to dismiss any concerns about this product, but let's keep this in perspective.

More info at:
http://www.cdfa.ca.gov/phpps/pdep/lbam/lbam_main.html
http://www.pesticideinfo.org/Search_Products.jsp

 

Damn, I remember they sprayed for med flies when I was younger... they would say to cover your cars because it might damage the paint, but it posed no health problems. Great.

 

When it comes down to the health of my family, I find that the article breeds many questions and concerns. Five years of spraying . . . Would you allow your kids to be be exposed to this stuff?

Hundreds of people whose homes and yards were sprayed in Santa Cruz and Monterey counties from September to December have filed reports that said the pesticide seems to have caused coughing, wheezing, muscle aches and headaches, among other symptoms. One Monterey family reported that a child had a first-time asthma attack.

State officials say the amount of pesticide applied shouldn't pose severe health risks, but they've also refused to rule out that the spray can affect humans, particularly sensitive people such as children and the elderly.

Before its use in Santa Cruz and Monterey last year, the pesticide, a hormone that throws off the scents of mating moths, had been used aerially only over farms and never over populated areas.

More than 600 people from the two counties have reported symptoms, including asthma attacks, bronchial irritation, lung congestion and soreness, difficulty breathing, coughing and eye and throat irritation.

Dr. Randy Baker, a family practitioner in Soquel, said he treated about a dozen patients with a range of symptoms when the area was being sprayed. Although he said there was no way to ascertain a cause-and-effect relationship, he had a number of concerns about the pesticide, including the fact that it was not tested for use over urban areas.

My parents are getting up there in the years. I have many young nieces and nephews. Ummmm . . . I believe that I have the proper perspective.

 

^ +100 - I am worried about my grandparents and my friends with asthma and similar issues. Something needs to be done about this before the spraying begins.

 

Don't get me wrong, Nate. If the spraying is warranted, then spray away. However, the local government and the regulatory agencies had better figured out what happened to all of those people down in the Santa Cruz and the Monterey regions. Spraying prior to that would simply be irresponsible and criminal.