If so, you may be adversely affected by aerial spraying to kill Gypsy moths.

Please read the following information.

Foray 48B is not "certified organic" and does pose health risks. It is a water-based formulation of bacteria and chemicals. The "active ingredient" is Bacillus thuringiensis Berliner variation kurstaki (Btk). The spores of Btk, like mold spores, can trigger allergic responses and asthma in some people. The formulation also includes chemicals and human pathogens not disclosed by the manufacturer due to "trade secret" laws. Certain levels of human pathogens are allowed in the formula and should not be sprayed in communities at any level. Yet, the formula can be declared free of pathogens as long as testing indicates contamination is below certain levels.

The Department of Agriculture claims Foray 48B has a proven safety record with people and animals. The following are just some of the facts indicating that this product does not have a proven safety record:

• Numerous studies indicate there are adverse effects on animals, including a study done last year by researchers in France who found that inhaling Btk spores can cause lung inflammation, internal bleeding and death in laboratory mice.
• No allergy testing has been done on this product.
• The current Material Safety Data Sheet for Foray 48B lists all health considerations regarding this product as Not Determined or Not Listed, including carcinogenicity, toxicity and effects on target organs.
• There have been reports of serious and life-threatening reactions in the U.S and Canada. For example, the Ecological Health Alliance reports that the 1999 aerial spraying of Foray 48B in Victoria, B.C., resulted in adverse reactions in more than 70 individuals, including one anaphylactic reaction. A 1993 Washington State report on the health effects of one single Gypsy moth aerial spray program indicates that 279 patients or doctors reported illnesses believed to be related to Foray 48B exposure, six of them so severe that emergency medical care was required. Many other examples are documented.
• Adverse reactions are underreported because doctors and patients are not made aware of the connection between the symptoms and the exposure to Foray 48B.
• Cultures usually are not taken to determine if Btk is implicated, and even in cases where Btk has been cultured, it has been dismissed as a contaminant in the sample.
• Adverse reactions reported by people living outside the spray zones have been dismissed as unrelated to the spray, even though some applications of Btk have drifted at least 20 kilometers.
• Information available on the undisclosed "inert" ingredients in Foray 48B indicates they could cause health problems.
• The manufacturer of Foray 48B has indicated that "It is possible that someone that already has developed an allergy to one of the components of Foray 48B or has asthma…could be affected by exposure to small quantities of Foray 48B."

During the 1999 gypsy moth trapping program, one egg mass was located in Ballard. Thirteen were trapped in all of King County. Do these numbers justify a mass aerial spraying program in Ballard and Magnolia?

VOICE YOUR OPINION: If you do not want to be sprayed with bacteria and chemicals, or if you believe all of the ingredients and the risks should be fully disclosed before you are sprayed, please take the following steps: Call the Department of Agriculture Director Jim Jesernig (360-902-1801). Call one number to leave a message for Senator Jeanne Kohl-Welles, Rep. Helen Sommers and Rep. Mary Lou Dickerson (800-562-6000). And send a note with your name, address and phone number to New Perspectives at the address below.

IF YOU ARE WITHIN 20 KILOMETERS OF AN AREA THAT IS SPRAYED, KNOW THE RISKS: Reported symptoms include but are not limited to: asthma and other respiratory problems, infections, fever, anaphylaxis, seizures, gastro-intestinal illness, flu-like symptoms, mild to severe swelling and rashes, eye problems, joint swelling and pain, headaches, neurologic symptoms.

REPORT ADVERSE REACTIONS TO THE SPRAY: You should report any adverse reaction to the spray to your doctor, the Department of Health (Bill Mason 360-236-3367) and the Department of Agriculture (800-443-6684). Also, please send a note with your name, address, phone number and symptoms to New Perspectives at the address below so that we may keep an independent record.

INSIST ON CULTURES: Anyone who develops an infection during the spray program should insist on a culture for Btk and B Cereus, as these are considered to be varieties of a single species. B Cereus is a human pathogen and has been implicated in food poisoning and life-threatening illness.

REQUEST ONE WEEK ADVANCE NOTIFICATION: Be sure to call the Department of Agriculture and ask to be notified by mail and by telephone one week in advance of all spray applications.

CONSIDER LEAVING THE AREA DURING APPLICATIONS: Anyone at high risk of allergic reactions, who has respiratory problems, or whose immune system is suppressed should consider leaving the area for several days during the spray applications.

WHERE ERADICATION IS REALLY NECESSARY, DEMAND SAFE ALTERNATIVES TO AERIAL SPRAYING: Mass trapping is a safe, effective alternative to spraying. Other proactive and preventive approaches to prevent the establishment of Gypsy moth infestations include public education, larval searching, burlap banding of trees and egg mass searching and removal.

This information provided by Gail McCormick

P.O. Box 17405

Seattle, WA 98107