Tuesday, January 29, 2008

Retreat, Regroup, Reformulate

The Californian is reporting that their state's Department of Agriculture has stopped spraying for the light brown apple moth (Epiphyas postvittana, or LBAM)...for now. The halting of the aerial applications of moth pheremones are in part due to the many complaints received from California residents concerned with the potential human health impacts of the chemicals. The USDA is currently seeking a longer-lasting formulation of the spray that won't need to be applied as frequently, and will work with the CDAR to come up with a new management plan for the LBAM once their investigation is complete.

For more background from the ISW on the LBAM invasion in California, click here.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Opponents to the spraying campaign are not just concerned about _potential_ health effects -read the 643 illness complaints compiled in this report:

http://forum.stopthespray.org/viewtopic.php?f=18&t=280

The descriptions of asthma attacks, stomach pains, vomiting, burning eyes, skin rashes and nerve pain to name just a few of the adverse effects, speak for themselves.