Gypsy
moth pesticide sprayed in Seattle
08:50 AM PDT
on Tuesday, April 25, 2006
SEATTLE – Helicopters
sprayed pesticide over Seattle's Capitol Hill and Madison Valley
Tuesday morning to eliminate the gypsy moth. KING For the first time since 2000,
helicopters will spray Foray 48B over parts of Seattle. Monday night, some residents held a protest saying the
pesticide that was used is dangerous. Some residents hit the streets asking the state to rethink
their gypsy moth strategy. At the protest on 23rd and Madison, suits were not required.
But Claude
Ginsburg says contamination suits should be mandatory after helicopters
spray pesticides. Ground-level spraying was just done in
Bellevue, but for the first time in Seattle since 2000, helicopters
sprayed Foray 48B – a pesticide made from naturally occurring bacteria
found in soil. It kills moths while they are in the caterpillar stage. Therefore, Ngozi Oleru, Chief of Environmental Health for King
County,
recommended that residents stay inside well after the 5 a.m. spraying
ended. "By the time people are out and about in an hour or two
hours, everything should be OK," she said. But the folks from No Spray Zone – the group that set up
Monday night's
protest – say Foray 48B is not being used in many areas including
British Columbia and the state of Texas. "Why is it that
Texas is able to use a much safer method to eliminate gypsy moths, and
we can't?" said Claude Ginsburg, Director of No Spray Zone. "Governor
Gregoire and the WSDA are making Texas look like a more eco-friendly
place than Washington. This is not progress." The group
says there is mounting scientific evidence that the pesticide, Foray
48B, could cause long-term health problems and no adequate testing has
been done to determine its safety. They also say there are safer
alternatives. The King County Dept. of Health has advised
in past sprayings that residents who are being treated for cancer, have
severe asthma or are immune-compromised should protect themselves,
possibly by leaving the area or staying inside for some time after the
spraying. 
