Bob Mount: Opelika mosquito spraying chemical raises flags

A label on a chemical contains the following: “CAUTION, Contains petroleum distillate. Harmful if swallowed or absorbed through the skin. Causes eye irritation. Avoid contact with skin, eyes, or clothing ...

“Prolonged or repeated contact with skin may cause allergic reactions in some individuals.

“This product is extremely toxic to fish and aquatic invertebrates … do not apply when weather conditions favor drift from treated areas. Drift and runoff from treated sites may be hazardous to aquatic organisms in neighboring areas.”

Also contained is a bee warning. “This product is extremely toxic to bees exposed to direct treatment.”

The active ingredients of the product are the insecticides Permethrin and Piperonyl Butoxide.

It is sold under the trade name Omega Mist ULV. It is categorized as “broad-spectrum,” meaning it will kill just about every species of insect exposed to it.

I learned not long ago that Opelika has begun spraying its neighborhoods with this product to control mosquito populations. Since the program began, the windy weather our area has been experiencing would seem to preclude spraying of the material if the warning on the label to avoid spraying “when weather conditions favor drift …” was being followed.

Mosquito populations tend to spike during dry weather following rainy periods, resulting in pools of stagnant water devoid of fish.

Such pools provide optimal breeding sites for several mosquito species. A product called Bt, when applied to these sites is lethal to mosquito larvae and harmless to non-target organisms. Bt is the abbreviation for Bacillus thuringiensis, a bacterium.

I spent five years in Florida during the 1950s and early 1960s, and when outside I was constantly slapping mosquitoes. The label on Omega Mist ULV states that its use in Florida is prohibited. Surely by now Florida has found a safe, environmentally friendly way to deal with its mosquito problem. Opelika Mayor Gary Fuller should investigate the matter.

I find it difficult to believe that exposure to Omega Mist ULV is less hazardous than exposure to second-hand cigarette smoke, and the former obviously constitutes a much greater threat to the natural environment than does the latter.

* * *

Which of the following stated, “Clean air is not free, and neither is clean water. The price tag on pollution controls is high. Through your years of past carelessness we incurred a debt to nature and now that debt is being called.” (a) Al Gore; (b) Richard Nixon; (c) Barak Obama; (d) Bill Clinton; (e) Newt Gingrich. The correct answer is b.

Which of the above expressed serious reservations about the rate of growth of the world’s population? The correct is b.

Bob Mount is emeritus professor of zoology and entomology at Auburn University and writes a weekly column for the Opelika-Auburn News.