URGENT: Stopping Aerial Spraying

[wohlii]

This is the second e-mail I received today about this planned prolonged, toxic spraying of the Bay Area with the pesticide called CheckMate to eradicate the Light Brown Apple Moth. Shocking details in the string below and more info at https://www.stopthespray.org and https://www.lbamspray.com/.

It seems it is going on South of Wacco territory, but it will affect us too in the long run. Anyway, we are all of us in this together, aren't we??

[Braggi]

This is the second e-mail I received today about this planned prolonged, toxic spraying of the Bay Area with the pesticide called CheckMate ...

It's not a pesticide in the traditional sense like Malathion.
It won't poison the water or air, supposedly, however, check out this article:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dy...101902796.html

As is so often the case, a statement is made in the last sentence that kind of nullifies the rest of the article.

In any case, histrionic emails from freaked out people rarely hold any truth, so read with a large helping of salt grains.

-Jeff

[Zeno Swijtink]

Agreed, the pheromone in the CheckMate spray may be relatively innocent.

However what the inert ingredients in CheckMate are is a trade secret. Sometimes the inert ingredients are more harmful then the active ingredients. In this case the capsules also can contain "inert" ingredients like formaldehydes and isocynates.

A quote from Magick, from the Ludwigia context: "It is often the inactive ingredients that are not required by law to be listed, that cause problems when they breakdown or interact with other elements in the water or soil."

The general goal of "eradication" rather then control I also find suspect. This approach is often unattainable unless enormous resources are marshalled.

PANNA (Pesticide Action Network North America) has good information.
https://www.panna.org/resources/lbam

I also copy a posting I send out Tue, 11 Dec 2007 on my group SonomaWildlife (plug, plug!!)

To: SonomaWildlife
From: SWHWG Newsservice
Sender: [email protected]
Date: Tue, 11 Dec 2007 11:35:14 -0800
Subject: [SonomaWildlife] TOXICS: "Inert ingredients"

This article gives information about how "inert ingredients" - often
trade secrets - have been linked to adverse environmental and
human-health effects.

https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/PI081
https://npic.orst.edu/factsheets/inerts.pdf
https://www.pesticide.org/inertspage.html
https://www.epa.gov/opprd001/inerts/

- Moderator

Newspaper clippings are offered to provide information and encourage
conversation.
********************
Science News - December 5, 2007
Weapons of moth destruction
California crop officials battle coastal citizens over an invasive
moth, inert ingredients, and the public's right to know.

An "environmentally friendly" moth eradication campaign on
California's central coast is spawning health complaints, legal
actions, and citizen protests. In November, Santa Cruz County became
the third party to file a lawsuit against the California Department
of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) to stop the department from spraying a
new and previously untried synthetic pheromone formulation over
residential neighborhoods. Earlier this fall, the city of Santa Cruz
also filed a lawsuit. These efforts followed action by the
Carmel-based environmental group Helping Our Peninsula's Environment
(HOPE). In October, HOPE succeeded in obtaining a brief delay in the
spraying when a superior court judge ordered a weeklong break in
spraying because of concerns about several ingredients in the
pheromone formulation.

https://pubs.acs.org/subscribe/journ...rr_inerts.html
--

NOTICE: In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C., section 107, some
material is provided without permission from the copyright owner,
only for purposes of criticism, comment, scholarship and research
under the "fair use" provisions of federal copyright laws. These
materials may not be distributed further, except for "fair use,"
without permission of the copyright owner. For more information go
to: https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml

It's not a pesticide in the traditional sense like Malathion.
It won't poison the water or air, supposedly, however, check out this article:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dy...101902796.html

As is so often the case, a statement is made in the last sentence that kind of nullifies the rest of the article.

In any case, histrionic emails from freaked out people rarely hold any truth, so read with a large helping of salt grains.

-Jeff

[Zeno Swijtink]

https://origin.marinij.com/marin/ci_8268623

Pesticide spraying plan sparks outcry
Brad Breithaupt
Article Launched: 02/15/2008 12:10:52 AM PST

A.G. Kawamura, secretary of the state Department of Food and Agriculture, discusses the threat posed by the light brown apple moth during a public hearing at the Civic Center on Thursday. (IJ photo/Jeff Vendsel)

Plans to start spraying in Marin to halt the spread of the invasive light brown apple moth packed a Civic Center meeting room Thursday with many people urging the state not to launch an aerial attack.

A special hearing drew a standing-room only crowd that heard state and Marin County officials outline their strategies for eradicating the destructive moth. The hearing was held a day after the state announced plans to begin aerial spraying on the Tiburon Peninsula and possibly parts of Sausalito.

After state officials spoke Thursday about the safety of the pheromone-based formula they plan to use, they got an earful from many in the crowd who said they worry about the health effects of the spray that would be used to get rid of the moth that has damaged plants and products in New Zealand and Australia.

"We are hearing a lot of complaints, and it's hard to assess them in the absence of research," said Assemblyman Jared Huffman, chairman of the Assembly Committee on Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials.

"We have to protect the apple trees - but we don't want poison apples," said state Sen. Carole Migden, D-San Francisco.

Marin has trapped enough moths that the state plans to put pheromone-coated twist ties on trees and tall bushes in San Rafael, mostly along the San Pedro Peninsula in the eastern part of the city.

The twist ties will be placed starting Feb. 19.

But the number of moths trapped on the Tiburon Peninsula was so high that state officials concluded aerial spraying is necessary.

The spraying would not start until August because the state needs to decide the proper formula for the spray. It would be conducted in 30-90 day intervals.

But spraying has already drawn protests in Santa Cruz and Monterey counties, where anti-pesticide groups gathered names of more than 600 people who said they became ill after last year's spraying.

State officials said they are developing a new formula for the spray.

Both strategies will be in use months before the state completes an environmental report that would study the threat of the moth and answer questions about health hazards raised by the spraying.

Warning from the state

A.G. Kawamura, the state's food and agriculture secretary, said the population of moths could explode and become a larger problem if the state waits until its report and public hearings are completed.

"The quickness of your eradication is something that drives this process," he said.

Larry Bezark, the department's assistant director, said the moth was first found in Berkeley last March and its population has spread to 10 counties, including Marin, by hitching on plants or by winds.

Ninety moths have been found in Marin. In Santa Cruz, traps have collected 10,755 moths.

Bezark said the state faces "a significant risk" of infestation.

"We've found almost 16,000 to date since we began the trapping process," he said. "The moth will spread to other areas of California if nothing is done. É The populations are still small and susceptible to eradication."

In Australia, the moth is blamed for damaging 1.3 percent of the commercially raised apples, pears, oranges and grapes. California agriculture officials estimate the annual cost of that level of damage in the state could reach $133 million.

Federal agriculture officials are also worried about the pest's spread and could take over the eradication if the state fails to take action, Kawamura said.



How the spraying works

The pheromone disrupts mating by mimicking the attractant mating scent emitted by female moths. It prevents male moths from finding females.

"If they don't mate, the populations crash," Bezark said.

State and county officials said it is safer than chemicals used in the past to eradicate pests.

The state also plans to use a tiny, stingerless wasp that feeds on moth eggs and sterile moths, but it hasn't raised enough to use them widely.

Marin County Agricultural Commissioner Stacy Carlsen said he's "very comfortable" with the safety of the state's strategies, both the twist ties and plans for spraying.

"This is really the opportunity to back this thing out of Marin County," he said.

The first evidence Marin residents will see is the reddish twist ties hanging from trees in San Rafael.

"You are going to see a few of these things?" asked Huffman at Thursday's hearing.

"Think Christmas," responded Carlsen.



Outcry at hearing

But the audience targeted the state's plans for spraying.

Paul Schramske, executive director of Pesticide Watch, a Sacramento-based environmental group, urged the state to declare "a good-faith moratorium" on aerial spraying so the state's plans can be fully studied and reviewed by the public.

Belvedere City Manager George Roderick said he was told of the state's plans last week. He said he's hoping the state will have local meetings on the problem and the need for spraying.

"I don't think we want to stand in the way of what needs to happen," he said.

Many speakers expressed greater concern about the formula than use of the pheromone because state officials said they could not say what compound would be mixed with the attractant.

Former Fairfax Mayor Frank Egger, who helped write some of his town's anti-pesticide laws, urged the Legislature to adopt a moratorium on aerial spraying.

"Please enact a moratorium until we know what they want to spray is safe," he said.

"They said they weren't going to spray in our waterways. Here's the foam in our river," said Santa Cruz Councilman Ed Porter, holding up photographs. "We should have the right not to breathe that stuff," he said.

"We have to stop poisoning our air and our water," added Wendy McPhee of Ross, who said local residents would be "much happier" if state limited its moth-fighting arsenal to twist ties.

Contact Brad Breithaupt via e-mail at [email protected]

[nicofrog]

Wow;
It's a difficult call;
stop the spraying? and potentially lose so much
Or allow the innocent seeming pheromone spray with its unknown
"inert" ingredients??
I only know THIS and I think its an important aspect
Mark Lappe' was a dear friend of mine for years, He was the world's leading toxicologist, went up against Monsanto on the gmo thing,went after the breast implant people, stopped herbicide spraying on roadsides in Mendocino county.
He told me this about "ROUND UP" a friendly seeming little back yard
derivative of Viet-Nam Military Herbicide war toys. Also famous for its usage by Monsanto in their "Round Up Ready" gmo seed campaign with which as far as I know, they are still conquering the agricultural world.
The company that created "Round Up" CHEATED on the safety tests
They were apprehended, Monsanto bought the rights to the chemical,PAYED a HUGE like Million dollar fine for the oversight, and the testing was never done correctly.No one messes with Monsanto.Today they make billions a year on our little mistake !
So I don't buy that the state or the Fed have not got time enough to force the company to reveal the other ingredients, the govt. is RUN by big business.until we turn THAT around so are we.
We breathe what they say we will breathe.
It's a tough call, I know if I lived in Tiburon,I'd take a vacation.I hope they tell the cyclists! Nico

[Zeno Swijtink]

On FORUM this morning a State guy said, I believe, that the names of the inert components will be made public.

Keep you posted.

Wow;
It's a difficult call;
stop the spraying? and potentially lose so much
Or allow the innocent seeming pheromone spray with its unknown
"inert" ingredients??
I only know THIS and I think its an important aspect
Mark Lappe' was a dear friend of mine for years, He was the world's leading toxicologist, went up against Monsanto on the gmo thing,went after the breast implant people, stopped herbicide spraying on roadsides in Mendocino county.
He told me this about "ROUND UP" a friendly seeming little back yard
derivative of Viet-Nam Military Herbicide war toys. Also famous for its usage by Monsanto in their "Round Up Ready" gmo seed campaign with which as far as I know, they are still conquering the agricultural world.
The company that created "Round Up" CHEATED on the safety tests
They were apprehended, Monsanto bought the rights to the chemical,PAYED a HUGE like Million dollar fine for the oversight, and the testing was never done correctly.No one messes with Monsanto.Today they make billions a year on our little mistake !
So I don't buy that the state or the Fed have not got time enough to force the company to reveal the other ingredients, the govt. is RUN by big business.until we turn THAT around so are we.
We breathe what they say we will breathe.
It's a tough call, I know if I lived in Tiburon,I'd take a vacation.I hope they tell the cyclists! Nico

[intheflow88]

Hi all,

Here is an opportunity to get involved in the pesticide waters!

There is an information meeting being held this Wednesday the 20th where
people will receive information to bring to the upcoming meetings
listed below.

Please see the attachment of the Mayor of Albany's Comments.

Please try to attend. If you cannot go to the information meeting,
please go to one or both of the upcoming meetings next week (see below) and keep involved.
The woman Nan Wishner works for the Mayor of Albany, and is
organizing a 'briefing' meeting, helping us to learn what to say, and
studying the pesticide issue. It will be very informative....


.

Neshamah



-----Original Message-----
From: Nan Wishner - Undoing Yoga [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Friday, February 15, 2008 10:09 AM
To: [email protected]; Neshamah Emi Miller;
[email protected]; [email protected]
Subject: Albany mayor's statement from LBAM hearing


Hello Everyone,
Thank you so much for coming to the hearing yesterday. Attached is
the Albany Mayor's statement from the hearing, which you requested.

You may have seen this morning's SF Chronicle front page story on the
spraying. The meetings listed in that story are the EIR scoping
meetings that were mentioned yesterday, where the firm preparing the
EIR collects public concerns that should be addressed in the EIR. it
is very important that we have informed people at those meetings --
if any of you are able to attend, that would great. Unfortunately,
the one in the East Bay conflicts with two other important meetings
(Berkeley City Council and an Oakland City Council committee, both
considering the LBAM issue), so we are stretched thin to have an
informed presence at all these events.

I am planning on arranging a briefing in the East Bay in Wed., 2/20
at 7:30 PM, location to be announced, email Neshama at [email protected] for location) to prepare people to speak at
those meetings. If any of you would like to attend or would like to
be on my Bay Area notification list for LBAM alerts, please let me
know and I will add your emails to the list.

Emi, if you have a chance to type up your notes for me, that would be
great. I will scan the copy of Dr. Ting's power point and send it to
you.

Thanks,

Nan Wishner


Bay Area LBAM EIR Scoping Meetings

SAN FRANCISCO
Monday, Feb. 25, 6-8 PM
San Francisco County Fair Building Auditorium
Golden Gate Park, 9th Ave, & Lincoln Way


OAKLAND
Tuesday, Feb. 26, 6:30-8:30 PM
Elihu Harris State Building Auditorium
1515 Clay St.