Houston was hit hard by Harvey and now the Air Force has come to the rescue to make sure that the standing flood water doesn’t turn into a breeding ground for mosquitos. But what Houstonians and others might not know is the pesticide raining down on their neighborhoods could have serious health and environmental repercussions.
Naled - the US government’s go-to mosquitocide doesn’t just kill mosquitos. It is also extremely harmful to other wildlife. According to the EPA, the chemical - currently under review by the agency - is harmful to 22 out of 28 endangered species exposed to it. And it is extremely fatal to bees, in fact, according to a Harvard study, just one day of spraying in South Carolina lead to a die off of more than 2.5 million bees. This, at a time with America’s bee population is struggling to survive.
But more troubling is its effects on humans. The neurotoxin - which is already banned in the EU - has been linked to a whole host of health problems. It poses a special risk to unborn children. According to one study, naled’s breakdown chemical - dichlorvos - was linked to a 15% reduction in the brain size of guinea pigs after their mother was exposed to it for just three days during pregnancy. And a UC Davis study found that pregnant women exposed to naled raised the chances of giving birth to a child within the autism-spectrum by 60%.
By spraying naled, the US government is following a natural disaster with a potential public health and ecological one. With all the health risks associated with naled and its breakdown chemical the US government should rely on another, less harmful to protect us from mosquitos.
Unfortunately, spraying in Texas has already begun, but we need to send a message to Washington that we don’t want that poison used ever again. Please sign the petition and ask the EPA to naled from use in the US and let's keep our children, and our planet safe from this toxin.
