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What If They Spray Detroit?

What If They Spray Detroit? image
Parent Issue
Day
1
Month
October
Year
1975
OCR Text

Last Saturday public health authorities in Windsor, Ontario, carried out the spraying, via airplane, of vast stretches of Windsor and environs in order to eradicate mosquitoes spreading St. Louis encephalitis, more commonly known as "sleeping sickness." Following the wet weather of the past several weeks, the mosquitoes have been venturing farther north than usual. In early September, the health department in Cleveland sprayed most of the city for the same reason.

In Cleveland, where authorities have reported 127 suspected and 16 confirmed cases of the disease, including five deaths, health officials used malathion, an organo-phosphate similar in structure to nerve gases. In large enough doses, it can cause tremors, muscular spasms, convulsions, and eventual death. Rachel Carson, in Silent Spring, reported thousands of deaths from malathion poisoning.

In Windsor, which has reported 76 suspected cases and 24 confirmed cases of St. Louis encephalitis, including two deaths, the chemical used is called propoxur (trade name Baygon), a carbamate with the same toxicity as malathion. Humans are normally protected from the effects of these chemicals because we have an enzyme which detoxifies them. But some substances can interfere with this enzyme, including carbon monoxide and barbiturates. Alcoholics and people with liver trouble can have the same problem. In these cases, the chemicals can affect humans just as they do mosquitoes.

Another danger of these chemicals is that other pesticides may destroy the detoxifying enzyme. The ensuing effect is called potentiation.

Cleveland Health Director Dr. Ronald Swanger points out that "No one has ever proven the correlation between malathion and deaths." But much as the relationship between cigarettes and cancer, the chemical evidence indicates strong potential for harm.

Although most of the offending mosquitoes would soon be killed by cold weather anyway, Dr. Donald McDonald, Director of Environmental Services for the Metro Windsor-Essex County Health Unit, fears that the encephalitis virus may make it through the winter in the bodies of mosquitoes who survive the spraying to winter in their dormant stage. McDonald's department is reviewing possible measures to deal with this possibility. Unfortunately, there seems to be no simple alternative to spraying. Cleaning up the mosquitoes' breeding grounds is a costly process in a large urban area.

Since there have been outbreaks of St. Louis encephalitis throughout the Midwest and Canada this fall, it's difficult to say why we haven't heard about a problem in Detroit. McDonald suggests that the only difference may be in the reporting system for cases. If Detroit officials do have to spray, the SUN can only recommend that people with any of the problems listed above, as well as any respiratory condition, remain indoors or away from the sprayed areas until the chemical has settled and dispersed.

DVP