If you believe your neighbor has the right not to be fogged, please sign this petition. Thanks!
SUPPORT YOUR NEIGHBOR'S RIGHT TO OPT-OUT OF MOSQUITO ABATEMENT
INFO
Information regarding pesticide fogging in Sanpete County, UT.
Thursday, May 10, 2012
OPT-OUT FORM
This is an opt-out form for Ephraim residents. If you are
interested in opting out copy and paste this into a word document and print.
Return the form to either Rachel or Amy. Or you can sign, scan and
email it to healthysanpete@gmail.com. Don't forget, if opting out is not
for you, but you respect your neighbor's right to opt-out, there is a form for
that as well!
Attention:
Residents of Ephraim City, UT OPT-OUT
Exemption From Spray Request Form
Opposing the use of pesticides
on our properties and residences.
If
you are concerned about the city spraying your residence/property with chemical
pesticides for mosquito control, please fill out the bottom portion of this
form if you do not want your property/residence
to be sprayed with chemical pesticides/insecticides. There are less toxic approaches to control
mosquito populations. Residents should
also contact their local and state officials immediately and voice their
concerns.
Negative human health effects
are well documented from pesticides. Organophosphates (Malathion) are
associated with a broad array of human health impacts. Common acute effects include difficulty
breathing, vomiting, cramps, diarrhea, blurred vision, sweating, headaches and
dizziness. Human health effects may be
most severe for developing unborn babies, children, the elderly, and those with
compromised immune systems. Effects
include immune system suppression, nervous system effects, and with prenatal
exposure lower cognition (IQ), dyslexia and ADHD.
For most humans, West Nile Virus
(WNV) is a very low risk disease.
More people die from
the flu than WNV. Those at risk from
WNV, the immune compromised & elderly, will also be at risk along with the
general population, including unborn babies and children, for potential serious
adverse health effects from widespread pesticide spraying. Widespread pesticide use is documented to
harm sensitive ecosystems and vulnerable individuals.
Pesticide spraying is not very
effective. Rapid development of pest resistance to organophosphates is
well documented. Repeat spraying is
necessary to overcome rapid mosquito rebound. Long-range effects of pesticide spraying can
actually increase the number of mosquitoes by destroying their natural
predators. Mosquitoes that survive the
spraying may become resistant, longer-lived, and more aggressive.
Sustained use of pesticides puts
our ecosystems at considerable risk. Organophosphates are highly toxic to
many beneficial insects including all bees, honeybees and other essential
pollinators. Where substances have been
shown to have the potential for health and ecosystem damage, they should not be
used.
Steps individuals can take to
minimize local mosquito populations and prevent bites:
· Remove
any unnecessary items on your property that hold stagnant water, such as old
tires.
· Empty
water from buckets, toys, and containers, and store them in places where they
will not collect rain.
· Drain
water from birdbaths, fountains, wading pools, plant pots and drip trays twice
a week.
· Check
for ways water may collect around your house: gutters, standing water on flat
roofs, puddles beneath air conditioners.
· Clear
vegetation and trash from drains, culverts, ponds or streams on your property
so that water drains properly.
· Eliminate
standing water in your basement.
· Make
sure window and door screens fit properly and replace outdoor lights with
yellow “bug lights”.
· Wear
light colored clothing.
· Keep
grassy areas short and mow lawns regularly.
FOR MORE
INFO: www.healthysanpete.blogspot.com healthysanpete@gmail.com
To voice
your health concerns and objections to pesticide use, call/contact/email your
County Environmental Health Department or Ephraim City Manager at:
Manti Office: 40 W. 200 N., 435-835-2231, kpcox@utah.gov Mt.
Pleasant Office: 20 S. 100 W., 435-462-2449, carolemott@utah.gov
Ephraim City Manager: 5 S. Main, 435-283-4631, regan.bolli@ephraimcity.org
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Please ensure the following
property is not sprayed/fogged with any pesticides/insecticides for any
mosquito control spray program or any other pest control program in the city of
Ephraim, UT.
____________________________________ _________________________________________
Name
(Print) Email
____________________________________ _________________________________________
Street City
State Zip
____________________________________ _________________________________________
Signature Date Phone
Please confirm this request by
email: _____ Please confirm this request in writing: _____
Progress Update
Well,
we have good news! Amy and I just wanted to let everyone know that we
are still busy working on finding a healthier solution to mosquito
control here in Ephraim. We had a meeting on Monday, May 1st with the city and EcoLife. Everyone was very helpful and hopeful about finding a fair solution. We thought
everyone would be interested in how it went, what we learned, and where
we go from here. Minutes from the meeting are posted below, as noted by
Amy and I during the meeting. We would love to hear from you all, so
please contact us if you want to get involved and help.
On Monday, May 1st at 2:00 p.m., Regan Bolli
(Ephraim City Manager), Chad Dewey and Travis Goode (EcoLife) and Amy Jorgensen
and Rachel Keller met at Ephraim City Hall to discuss the mosquito abatement
program implemented in the city of Ephraim in 2009. Amy Jorgensen and Rachel Keller requested the
meeting in order to better inform themselves and others on the current
abatement program approved by the city and administered by EcoLife.
1.
In addition to gathering information, possible
solutions for citizens wanting to exercise their right to opt-out of being
sprayed/fogged were discussed. Some
equitable possible solutions included:
·
Creating an opt-out policy similar to towns and
counties in Utah and throughout the United States (and North America).
·
A compromise which included spraying only public
areas for which the city is responsible, such as parks, the library, city hall,
baseball fields, etc.
·
Examining alternative options to spraying.
2.
The issue of economic s was also addressed
during the meeting. Ephraim city spends
anywhere from $7,000-$12,000 on the mosquito abatement, with the money coming
from a $5-$6 bill issued to each utility connection in Ephraim. Some of the
issues addressed included:
·
The effectiveness of spraying vs. the cost.
·
Research showing fogging as the least effective
method of mosquito abatement was discussed, as well as the documented research
showing mosquitoes developing resistance and natural predators of mosquitoes
being affected by the spraying.
·
The difficulty of achieving efficacy when
spraying must take place at least no earlier than 9:00 p.m. in order to try to
lessen the effect of the chemicals on pregnant women, children, and the
elderly, who are most susceptible to the chemical used. The peak time for mosquitoes is between 7-10
p.m.
3.
Another significant issue addressed was the
health and safety issue.
·
EcoLife discussed the idea of Malathion being
classified as not posing an “unreasonable risk” but also not being classified
as “safe.”
·
Possible side effects (including autism) of
Malathion were discussed, as well as the idea of people being able to choose
what risks they wish to be exposed to and which risks they find too great.
4.
Some of the main questions and answers included:
·
Who has oversight of the abatement program
administered by EcoLife?
o Response: The Utah Department of Agriculture has
general oversight over mosquito abatement programs as far as compliance issues
are concerned. The general rule is “the
law is the label”; in other words, EcoLife follows the recommended spraying
instructions on the label of Fyfanon ULV®.
o Inspections
are made, but it was noted they are not necessarily on a regular basis. If companies are repeat offenders, they are
checked more often. EcoLife has never
had a problem passing their inspections.
·
Who orders the spraying to be done? Who decides the when, where, frequency,
start/stop dates, etc.?
o The
county provides larvacide treatment free of charge for the entire county. In fact, citizens with standing water should
call the county if they would like treatment.
o EcoLife
decides how often to spray, and the city calls EcoLife to request the initial
start of spraying. EcoLife bases its
decision to spray based upon calls from Ephraim City (who receives calls from
residents), mosquito monitoring, etc.
·
What is the current opt-out policy for citizens
who chose not to have their personal property sprayed?
o Currently,
there is no opt-out program provided by Ephraim citizens for residents who
chose not to be sprayed. It was shared
that there are opt-out programs in many areas in Utah and throughout the United
States and North America. Mount
Pleasant, Utah has an opt-out program in place, as well as Sevier county.
·
How are mosquitoes monitored? How and where are they gathered?
o EcoLife
monitors mosquitoes through trapping them in a box, luring them in via carbon
dioxide and light. Then, a fan pushes
the mosquitoes to the bottom. EcoLife
collects them and sends them to a lab to be tested.
o They
are gathered weekly from randomly selected sites throughout Ephraim.
·
What sort of gathering apparatus is used to
collect the mosquitoes?
o See
above.
·
What criteria are used in the decision to spray
Malathion, name-brand Fyfanon ULV®?
o No
clear industry criteria for spraying.
Mostly based on the number of complaint calls Ephraim city receives.
·
What notice is/has been provided to Ephraim
residents about what is being sprayed and when it is sprayed?
o A
schedule was provided in the summer of 2011 via the utility bill.
o The
issue of spraying on non-scheduled days was raised. EcoLife explained they do sometimes spray on
non-scheduled days when they do not complete spraying the previous assigned
day.
o During
the summer of 2010, no schedule or warning was provided.
·
Are there industry standards for determining
when spraying is necessary?
o Again,
there is no clear standard. It is
usually determined by peak seasonal times and the number o f phone calls
Ephraim city receives.
·
What training do the employees who are spraying
on behalf of EcoLife receive?
o EcoLife’s
employee training is extensive. All
sprayers are trained, certified, and licensed.
They complete at least 60 + hours a year of continuing education, attend
conferences hosted by the suppliers, as well as online training. The company also holds a weekly safety
meeting.
·
How many, if any, West Nile carrying types of
mosquitoes have been found in Ephraim?
o There
were no West Nile carrying mosquitoes found in Ephraim city. In 2010, there was one reported cased of West
Nile in all of Utah.
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