Spray adds to Zika fears
MIAMI BEACH, Fla. — In the only U.S. city confirmed to have mosquitoes carrying the Zika virus, some residents say they’d rather be bitten than be exposed to droplets of chemicals sprayed from planes to kill the bugs.
No assurances from health officials would calm some 200 people packing a Miami Beach City Commission meeting Wednesday. They cursed elected officials and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for mixed messages about aerial spraying over South Beach and for refusing to detail all locations where adult mosquitoes have been isolated with the virus.
“At first they said they couldn’t do aerial spraying, but then they said yes,” said Sadie Kaplan, a fitness trainer who fled her home twice to avoid the spraying. “Pick a side. Don’t flip-flop.”
Some argued the mild flu-like illness Zika causes in most people doesn’t warrant aggressive pesticide use, even booing a doctor presenting evidence of Zika-related birth defects to city commissioners.
“I don’t want to be sprayed with pesticides for what I believe is a hoax,” said Kiro Ace, a graphic designer who was shirtless but wore a gas mask as he joined protesters chanting, “If you’re going to spray, we want a say!”
At issue is the use of naled, an insecticide sprayed since the 1950s for mosquito control in the U.S. It’s currently being used in Miami Beach at levels deemed safe by the CDC and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. It’s banned from personal use in homes, but the EPA says there’s no evidence it causes cancer.
An EPA fact sheet on naled says people exposed to high concentrations can experience nausea, dizziness and confusion. At extremely high concentrations it can be fatal. Ten naled-related calls have been reported to the Florida Poison Control Information Network since Aug. 1, but there’s no confirmation of any pesticide exposure or illness, Florida Department of Health spokeswoman Mara Gambineri said in an e-mail.
While considered safe for humans at the low levels officials say has been sprayed in Florida’s Zika response efforts, naled use can have environmental consequences. About 2 million honeybees died last month in South Carolina after some beekeepers weren’t notified about aerial spraying, the South Carolina Department of Pesticide Regulation confirmed.
Puerto Rico’s governor has refused to authorize the CDC to use naled to fight Zika there — despite widespread infections on the island.
