Boise, Idaho News, Weather and Traffic - KTRV Fox 12 - Some People Concerned About Mosquito Spraying Affects
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BOISE --
In lieu of two more deaths this week due to West Nile Virus, both Ada and Canyon counties have declared emergencies.
The status provides funding for a controversial plan to kill mosquitos with insecticides sprayed from the air.
Two planes are scheduled to spray a chemical called Dibrom over Ada County's most mosquito-infected areas Monday and Tuesday. A single droplet of Dibrom is said to kill a single mosquito.
But some people are worried about how the insecticide will affect human health.
"We just want people to realize that pesticides are not 100% safe. They are designed to kill living things," said Jennifer Miller who belongs to a regional organization that promotes alternatives to pesticides.
Miller is warning Ada County residents that they need to be aware of the spraying and take actions to protect themselves from their exposure to it.
"Just do some simple things like stay inside while the spraying is occurring, don't go for a late-night jog or walk with your dog. You should also make sure your air conditioner is turned off and if you do happen to grow a home-grown garden, you should consider harvesting our produce before the spraying occurs," Miller said.
During a demonstration of the technology used to do the aerial spraying, company officials stressed the chemical will have no affect on insects, birds, fish or humans.
"This is very, very accurate. It takes GPS impute to figure out the track of the aircraft, the speed, what it's having to turn into the wind to maintain, it's track and tells the wind is," said Vector Disease Control Airplanes chief pilot Malcom Williams.
But Miller thinks everyone has a responsibility to remove mosquito-breeding grounds from around their houses to prevent the need for such aerial coverage. Those things include turning over containers in your yard that hold standing water, regularly changing the water in pet-food dishes and birdbaths. She also suggests people fix leaky faucets or sprinklers.
Canyon County officials will meet with the Governor next week to decide if that county should go ahead with the spraying.
Under state law, a designated area may ask for annexation into a mosquito abatement district.
Nampa residents will be asked for their input at the next city council meeting, scheduled Monday, 7:00 p.m.
