11/4/08 Two Reports On LBAM Spray Toxicity Released

[isabelle]

November 4, 2008: Two reports on LBAM spray toxicity released

Results of socalled 6-pack toxicolgy tests on pesticide products used or proposed for LBAM eradication
(dated November 3, 2008)

Deposition study, results of environmental monitoring of the 2007 aerial applications for LBAM
(dated September 16, 2008)

OEHHA press release November 4, 2008 http://www.cdpr.ca.gov/docs/pressrls/2008/081104.htm

CDFA press release http://www.cdfa.ca.gov/egov/Press_Relea ... num=08-074

[isabelle]

PRESS RELEASE STOPTHESPRAY.ORG


For Immediate Release: November 6, 2008


New study reveals more violations of the law by CDFA

Environmental groups, citizen advocates react to results of environmental monitoring during aerial spraying for Light Brown Apple Moth (LBAM)


Santa Cruz, CA. (November 4, 2008) Just a few days before the one-year anniversary of the aerial spraying for Light Brown Apple Moth (LBAM) in Santa Cruz, the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) released a report by the Department for Pesticide Regulations (DPR) about the results of environmental monitoring during pesticide applications in Monterey and Santa Cruz counties.

While CDFA claims that this study proves the safety of the chemicals used, environmental groups and citizen advocates say that statement is misleading and point out fundamental shortcomings of the report. Rather, they argue, the report reveals another breach of the law by CDFA as it states that considerable drift occurred during aerial spraying in 2007. The study also confirms observations made by affected residents of inconsistencies in the dosage of the pesticides, creating whole clusters of illness. Detailed reactions follow.

1. The study is inadequate in determining toxicity of the chemicals sprayed, as it takes into account only the active ingredient of the pesticides, a synthetic pheromone. The so-called inert ingredients are not being examined, although those ingredients are of great concern. Some inert ingredients have established carcinogenic, mutagenic, and reproductive toxicities, others are toxic to aquatic species.

Says Santa Cruz resident Paulina Borsook “This report persists CDFA’s disingenuous practice of looking at the most benign components of the spray only and then calling the whole product ‘safe’. The agency’s behavior is completely irresponsible. CDFA continues to put families, pets, wildlife and fragile ecosystems at risk, and insults those that already have been hurt.”

Quote: “The Check Mate products also contain several inert ingredients, but these were not monitored.” (p. 2)

2. While deficient in determining toxicity of the spray, the new study conducted by DPR, reveals evidence of further abuses of the law by CDFA. The report states that pesticide drift was measured as far as 3.3 miles outside of the spray zone. This is a clear violation of section 12972 in the California Agriculture Code: “The use of any pesticide by any person shall be in such a manner as to prevent substantial drift to nontarget areas.”

Quote: “Drift of the product was detected at considerable distance from the application boundary, 3.97 ug/ft2 (1.15 percent of the target application rate) at 17,400 feet in one instance.” ( p. 12)

Says Soquel resident Isabelle Jenniches “I live outside the spray zone, but we could feel and smell the spray. My husband and I had red eyes, dry mouths, and accelerated heart rates for days. My neighbor suffered a terrible asthma attack, the first in years. It is a well-known fact that airborne pesticides can drift for miles. This dangerous practice has to stop for good!”

During aerial spray operations last year, the pilots were to leave buffer zones around waterways and along the ocean. The now confirmed pesticide drift rendered these buffer zones meaningless. Storm run-off made things worse: after the spraying a thick yellow foam was observed in the water. Surfers reported the worst red tide in 40 years, which may have been fueled by phosphates and surfactants in the spray.

Says Frank Egger, president of the North Coast River Alliance “When I saw the photographs of thick yellow foam in the ocean after spraying, I knew that our waters had been contaminated. We now have proof of this. This is an outrageous violation of both state and federal laws and further puts endangered species such as steelhead trout and Coho salmon in jeopardy.”

3. The study also finds that pesticide capsules were not evenly distributed within the carrier substance (water), leading to inconsistent deposition rates of the spray. This may explain why some entire families became very ill when neighbors across the street did not. One property received a much larger exposure to chemicals than the other.

Quote: “The tank sample results showed a large amount of variability between samples for the same treatment and even within analysis of a single sample. […]The cause of the variability could be due to several factors. It was noticed that the microcapsules tend to separate out of the mixture quickly and require constant mixing.” (pp. 9 & 10)

The deposition study by the Department of Pesticide Regulations can be found at the CDFA website http://www.cdfa.ca.gov/phpps/PDEP/lbam/ ... _study.pdf



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For Immediate Release: November 6, 2008


Six-pack tests inadequate say health advocates

Acute toxicity tests on pesticides to combat the Light Brown Apple Moth (LBAM) leave residents unconvinced of their safety

Santa Cruz, CA. (November 6, 2008) In a second study, results of the so-called six-pack tests that examined the acute toxicity of four pesticide product to eradicate the Light Brown Apple Moth were released Tuesday. The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) hailed the study as proof of the products’ safety, while health advocates identify crucial inadequacies.

No long-term toxicity testing was included in either the newly released study nor in previous studies by the Department for Pesticide Regulation (DPR) and the Office for Health Hazard Assessments (OEHHA). Acute toxicity testing does not take into account that cancer and other illnesses often take years to appear. What's more, time-release pesticides, intended to be re-applied year after year, will keep the environment permanently saturated.

According to Roy Upton, LBAM Liaison for Citizens for Health “Nothing about the safety of the many pesticides used in the LBAM eradication program has been honestly represented by the agencies. Pesticides do not belong in our children's playgrounds or our homes. This program has to stop.”

Upton is co-author of a petition to reclassify the Light Brown Apple Moth (LBAM). The petition presents commanding scientific evidence that the moth does not endanger native ecosystems or crops. This petition has been submitted to the United States Department of Food and Agriculture (USDA) by Congressman Sam Farr (D-Carmel). It is accompanied with numerous endorsements by state legislators and esteemed entomologists.

The six-pack tests also did not assess the specific pesticide delivery system
used in the Fall of 2007 in Monterey and Santa Cruz counties: tiny plastic capsules, small enough to be breathed into the deep lung where they cannot be expelled, were rained down on Monterey Bay communities. The American Lung Association defines these tiny plastic capsules as "particulate pollution" capable of causing death. Following the spraying several children suffered first-time asthma attacks, including at least two children who nearly died from respiratory failure.

Mike Lynberg is a Pacific Grove businessman who helped collect illness complaints after the spraying in the Monterey and Santa Cruz areas last fall. He recently released an expanded report listing 802 cases of severe headaches, asthma, body rashes, eye and throat irritation, dizziness, nausea and fatigue.

Says Lynberg "State agencies have done only a cursory investigation of the many illnesses, and they've added insult to injury by not interviewing a single patient or doctor. The hundreds of illness complaints we know about are likely just the tip of the iceberg because the state did not have an adequate monitoring system in place following the crop dusting of our schools, playgrounds and homes with pesticides."

Lynberg notes that the report's conclusion on page 13 admits that state agencies ‘cannot exclude the possibility that one or more ingredients in the LBAM product could cause an allergic response in sensitive individuals.'

Also, he observes that the state's report concedes that animal studies cannot adequately predict how chemicals will affect people, in part because only a few animals are tested, for very short periods of time, while hundreds of thousands of people were aerial sprayed and exposed to chemicals in the air for days and weeks.

Two medical doctors testified during hearings in the California state assembly that people's symptoms were consistent with the known toxins in the spray. Dr. Lawrence Rose M.D. M.P.H., a recently retired senior Public Medical Officer for the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal-OSHA), wrote a paper on the health effects of the LBAM spray which came to the same conclusion.

In his paper, Dr. Rose says: “These short term complaint symptoms are consistent with known toxicology scientific information of the ingredients of Checkmate (the pesticide sprayed in 2007). These ingredients include irritants, sensitizers, nervous system disrupters, endocrine disruption, allergens, and hypersensitivity induction. Long term health effects are also of concern due to the known induced mutations and suspected cancer risks of constituent chemicals.”

Dr. Rose’s paper Marin Pesticide Spraying Health Hazard Alert can be downloaded at
http://www.stopthespray.org/resources/h ... Report.pdf

The executive summary of the petition to reclassify LBAM can be found at
download/file.php?id=651

The toxicology study is posted at
http://www.oehha.ca.gov/pesticides/pdf/ ... 110308.pdf

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[bpm4327]

Re: 11/4/08 Two New Reports On LBAM Spray Toxicity Release

11/6/08 - Data Lacking To Link Moth Spray To Health Woes

A long-awaited review of a pesticide that was sprayed on 83,500 acres near Santa Cruz and Monterey last year to fight a pest moth concludes there is not enough information to tell if there is a link between the spray and health problems reported by residents. The new review fulfills a request made by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to conduct some basic tests on pesticides under consideration to fight the light brown apple moth, including Checkmate, the pheromone product used in the two counties. The state halted spraying of urban areas, but left open the possibility of spraying elsewhere.

Health officials from the state Department of Pesticide Regulation and other agencies sent their findings to Linda Adams, chief of the California Environmental Protection Agency, and other top government officials. They concluded that the exposure to toxic properties was low to individuals who could have ingested it, breathed it or got the product on their skin. The set of tests on animals only assessed short-term effects. "We find the results of the acute toxicity studies support our previous conclusion that we cannot definitively determine whether or not there is a link between the reported symptoms and the Checkmate applications and support our recommendation for enhancing the systems for symptoms reporting," the state health officials concluded. But the health officials added that they couldn't dismiss "the possibility that in sensitive individuals, contact with the particles could cause allergic-type responses."

The six tests on four products - completed by one pesticide manufacturer and an independent toxicology laboratory - essentially evaluated toxicity through exposure via ingestion, skin and inhalation. Eye and skin irritation studies measured the presence, duration and severity of irritation following a single exposure of the eye or skin. A sixth skin sensitization study also determined if the material was capable of causing an allergic reaction. Also released Tuesday was a monitoring report of last year's spraying from planes flying 500 feet above ground. Revelations included information that drift moved more than 4 miles from the targeted sites, in some cases. The report also noted a varying amount and concentration of the pesticide sprayed over the different towns.

Effort to avoid drift

Michael Jarvis, a Cal/EPA spokesman, said the planes were required to fly 500 feet high to meet concerns over safety and clearance, making it harder to avoid drift. He couldn't comment on the variability in amounts and concentrations of the sprayed products. Planes first sprayed Marina, Seaside, Monterey and Pacific Grove for four nights in September 2007. The next month planes resprayed that area with a different form of Checkmate; both pheromone pesticides are designed to disrupt moth mating. On three nights last November, planes sprayed parts of Salinas, Prunedale, Santa Cruz, Live Oak, Scotts Valley, Soquel, Capitola and Aptos. Residents reported more than 400 cases of labored breathing, headaches, coughing, nausea and menstrual irregularities, among other symptoms. But because no effective reporting system had been set up, residents sent reports of symptoms to physicians, hot lines and citizens groups.

In April, health officials said they couldn't try to link connections between the spray and ill health effects because of the inconsistency of reporting.

On Thursday, watchdog health groups reviewing the newly released documents said the animal studies didn't provide an adequate assessment because the lab tests didn't include long-term effects.

Long-lasting spray

Margaret Reeves, a senior scientist at Pesticide Action Network, said the spray is designed to last a long time in the environment. "Potential exposure to individuals would also occur over an extended period of time, making it absolutely necessary that the evaluation of health effects must take into consideration chronic, or long-term, exposure," she said. The aerial spray program was meant to eradicate the light brown apple moth, an insect feared as a crop devastator. The U.S. Department of Agriculture, with support from the state agriculture department, launched it after some moths were detected in the state. Because it was deemed an emergency, the Checkmate products did not have to undergo state scrutiny before they were used. After residents and political leaders strongly objected to any more spraying, the departments announced in June that they would cancel summertime spraying in urban areas. Instead they would release sterile moths to reduce the population beginning next year.

The technique has been successful for more than 30 years, and was the alternative that ended California's use of Malathion spray against the Mediterranean fruit fly, said the director of the state agriculture department, A.G. Kawamura. Agricultural officials said they might spray rural areas, but so far no plans have been made. "There is no spraying being done anywhere by air, and there is none planned," said Larry Hawkins, a spokesman for the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Environmental review

Aerial spraying won't resume until it receives a completed environmental review by the state agriculture department, he said. The moth has been found in the nine Bay Area counties, plus Santa Cruz, Monterey, Santa Barbara and San Benito. In all counties but Santa Cruz and Monterey, the pheromone chemical, which disrupts moth mating, is being applied on twist-ties placed on plants. There is a federal quarantine in place in the 13 counties, which means nurseries and farms have to get certification before certain plants and crops can be sold. Some 54,930 traps statewide have captured 45,318 moths as of Oct. 31. The top three counties are Santa Cruz, San Francisco and Monterey.

In the meantime, Rep. Sam Farr, D-Carmel, sent to the U.S. Agriculture Department a petition prepared by Citizens for Health, a nonprofit advocacy group, asking that the pest status of the light brown apple moth be degraded. Its status as an "actionable" pest had a part in triggering the emergency campaign, and changing its status could lift the quarantine imposed on nurseries and farms.

News article:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.c ... 13VR7Q.DTL

PANNA - LBAM:
http://www.panna.org/resources/lbam

[isabelle]

See Mike Lynberg's op-ed in the San Francisco Chronicle

Aerial Spraying put People at Risk

[Ranana_ZoOw]

Please post here if you are considering or planning to move away before the spray resumes on June 1st in Monterey/Santa Cruz and on August 1st in Bay Area. I would like to begin to compile a count of people who are making such plans to use in our advocacy efforts.

If you are considering moving away, please give the following information:
1 your city of residence
2 reason for planning to move away, such as your own illness, illness of child, pregnancy, or any other concern that would cause you to leave.
3 hardships that this move will cause in your life: e.g., giving up your job and source of income; leaving friends and family; having to sell your home in a hurry in depressed market; leaving your established medical care providers, etc.

I live in Oakland and realize that I will have to move away if we cannot stop the spraying, prior to August 1st. I have asthma and another respiratory illness bronchiectasis. After reading the illness reports, I realize I would not survive the spraying.

With the plans to spray three nights a month, and to re-spray every thirty days, and with the timed-release capsules releasing the ingredients during the days in-between, obviously leaving the area for a short time would do no good whatsoever.

I think that the devastating impact and hardship this is posing is a story that needs to be told.
thanks Dorothy

[Guest]

In response to the two toxicity reports listed here, (note report:Marin Pesticide Spraying Health Hazard Alert) states that that the airborne microscopic particles from Checkmate LBAM-F and Checkmate ORL-F would drift down and randomly disperse, according to prevailing winds, to settle on all exposed life, houses, gardens, playgrounds, walkways, etc., .. be inhaled by all breathing life forms including homo sapiens... and under 10 micron would reach to the finest lung bronchiolar air exchange units called alveoli. These particles are designed to break down over a 30 day period ... no data on how they will act in human, dog, cat, etc., lungs. ... this document is for health care providers in Marin County ... to make informed decision ... Then reports goes on to indicate possible risks ofthe polyurea plastic capsules can cause serious acute reactive bronchial constriction (asthma attacks) ... with a long list of other ailments.
Of that report by Rose, a state department still needs to officially notify all medical offices and doctors in both counties that this spray was a pesticide, (with a full description of its content and reactions to look for) and send to mayors, newspapers and schools. Because many are still going by the original emergency notification by the CDFA Secretary and the Health Department that this is a safe pheromone. Some newspapers still report it as safe.
After the particles broke down, or were inhaled, swallowed or absorbed into humans, animals, plants, or into our soil and waterways, where the substance of the particles were absorbed more. Remember the particle would stick, and release its toxic pheromone spray into the air continually for 30 to 90 day period. Watering seemed to increase it's release, along with bubbles. (All those playgrounds being washed down - so that more children were exposed.)
Then, as nature happens, and the small things get munched or eaten by larger things - eventually we need to look at sea otters and if they are being affected, because that is what we have to work on.
THEN - the next report - Review - of Acute Toxicity Studies on LBAM - - it is hard to even read this report with so many untruths, because we lived through it and know how harmful it was. We were subjected to the spray continually -so we can not be compared to a test on an animal, who gets breaks away from the spray. Also - no one from DPR, OEHHA, DPH have contacted even the 643 people listed with ill affects, to get the information othey said they needed that was missing ... much less contacted the thousands of others that were affected. During that spray time -- going into drug stores, hosptials, health food stores - many were sick with some type of new flu and didn't know what it was. (These were runners, bikers, kids playing football, who were all breathing it in! Yes healthy people were getting sick, along with the young, old and low immune systems.) They said they didn't have enough information to make their report - well - that about says it for me for their whole report is not acceptable. . I lived it - I watched people throw up, and know 100% that the spray was toxic - it would make your throat and tongue swell, a metallic taste and cotton mouth immediately happened. All - to disappear when leaving the county, but return when one came back. There were "pockets" of the spray lingering in areas of Monterey - where now it seems more was sprayed and stuck and released the pesticide.
The rain and rivers are washing this to our oceans and we need studies now of all affected. Now, not next year.
The new health department needs to ask for those affected to fill out a complete questionnaire report (that scientist can use) to see what affects we and our children can expect to be on the look out for in the future and protect ourselves.
Thanks for reading