Quotes

Some Notable Quotes

"In fact, Americans were 10 times more likely to be struck dead by lightning in 1999 than to die from West Nile virus." Michael Jamison, July 24, 2005.

"As the virus increased its range across the country in subsequent years, the risks likewise increased. Last summer, about 100 died from West Nile nationwide. That's a one in 2.9 million risk . . . By comparison, the National Safety Council reports that about 500 Americans - one in every half-million - die in their beds each year, accidentally strangled by their own covers . . . A whopping 1,600 - or one in 180,000 - fall fatally down their stairs. More than 6,000 die crossing the street . . . Which only goes to prove that if you can make it out of bed, down the steps and to the corner bus stop, mosquitoes are pretty much the least of your worries . . . A rational assessment of risk, then, hints that the hype about West Nile has been bigger than the threat." (emphases ours) Michael Jamison, July 24, 2005.

"And even if one of those bugs finds you, you'll probably never know it. More than 99 percent of people infected don't actually get sick. Of the 1 percent who do, only a small fraction get seriously ill. And of that small fraction, an even smaller fraction will die." Michael Jamison, July 24, 2005.

"The District does not expect to spray for adult mosquito control for many reasons. Washington, DC has the highest asthma rate in the country (2.5 times the national average). Aerosolized pesticides can trigger asthma and aggravate respiratory conditions." See the DC final plan for 2004.

"While some welcome spraying for mosquitoes, the fact is that spraying will not eliminate the threat of mosquito-borne illnesses. This is specifically why the city of Fort Worth discontinued its spraying program in 1991 . . . thousands of Fort Worth residents living with respiratory problems such as asthma would be in danger of an outset of symptoms. Asthma and Allergies are two of the top five health problems for Fort Worth residents, according the 1998 Community Needs Assessment. The potential inhalation hazard to the general population does not seem worth the risk of killing a few mosquitoes." See the report from the Fort Worth District.

"Your letter indicates that 19 people died in California from WNV in 2005. While any death is regrettable, we believe that the risks posed by WNV must be kept in perspective and that 19 deaths do not constitute an epidemic. For instance, in 2003, 8,184 people in California died from influenza and in our county of Yolo, 61 people died from influenza." Letter from Stop West Nile Spraying Now to Senator Barbara Boxer, June 15, 2006.

"The City of Boulder did not spray and had better results (as measured by number of West Nile cases) than any of the communities around it that did spray. I would have to agree . . . that spraying has a large component of politics mixed in with it. If you spray you are visibly 'doing something.' Unfortunately, the only thing we know we are doing for sure when we spray is that we are adding poison to our environment." Dr. Martin Walter, in a letter to Beyond Pesticides.

"Current science continues to show that there is no correlation between spraying pesticides on adult mosquitoes and reducing the incidence of West Nile virus in humans." Text from a no-spray resolution passed by the city of Lakewood, Ohio.

"Q: What was the total number of deaths from West Nile virus statewide in 2004? Is this a human epidemic? A: Twenty-eight deaths were reported last year. The general definition of an epidemic is when there are more than the usual numbers of cases over a specified time period. California had the greatest number of human cases in the United States last year. This is an epidemic of West Nile virus." Statement made by District officials in response to questions posed at a City forum on August 23, 2005. See the previous quote and our responses to those statements.

" 'In the past, we've been collecting a lot of data and analyzing it, but we realized it was not worth the amount of time we were putting in . . . So few people actually get the virus.' . . . No longer the unusual disease it once was, officials can treat West Nile as a common summer occurrence . . ." Officials change focus on West Nile, July 6, 2004.

"Pesticide spraying will expose human beings and nontarget organisms to chemicals known to affect human health and the environment . . . California’s current West Nile Virus Response Plan is overly permissive of dangerous and ineffective pesticide spraying." Overkill: Why Pesticide Spraying for West Nile Virus in California May Cause More Harm Than Good.

“ . . . only 2% of all cancers result from the inheritance of defective parental genes. Rather, 95-98% of the present cancer burden is due to environmental factors that can directly or indirectly induce somatic mutations in oncogenes . . . The data is simply too compelling to trust the false and misleading information from the pesticide industry.” Dr. Wallace LeStourgeon, a Vanderbilt University molecular biologist who teaches an advanced course on environmental toxins, in a letter to the Metro Public Health Department, Nashville.

"In general WNV is a mild disease. It only becomes serious encephalitis if the virus can cross the blood-brain barrier. Among the agents that impair the blood-brain barrier in young rats are pyrethroid, organophosphate, and organochlorine pesticides. Thus, insecticide spraying has the potential to worsen the process of WNV infection." Dr. Dennis Goode, Department of Biology, University of Maryland.

"Based on the progression of the disease in western states, with ecological conditions similar to California (since 2003), there is no doubt that without intervention the disease will infect 100’s or 1,000’s of humans in the area. The result will be dozens, if not hundreds, of cases of serious neuroinvasive disease that often result in permanent disability and can conclude in death." Statement made by District officials in response to questions posed at a City forum on August 23, 2005. See our responses to those statements. We see this one as a major exaggeration, with no citation of evidence, yielding figures far higher than those suggested by the CDC.

"Q: What would be projected to happen in the absence of a spraying campaign? A: A substantial increase in the number of WNV cases." Statement made by District officials in response to questions posed at a City forum on August 23, 2005. See our responses to those statements. No evidence is offered for this bold assertion, and it flies in the face of the experience of a number of communities across the country that have not sprayed, often achieving better results than surrounding communities that did spray.

"I don't know what next year's going to bring . . . so I want to be prepared." District Manager David Brown, advancing on the theory that aerial spraying could have suppressed the virus enough so it hasn't burned itself out yet. This could mean that the adulticiding in 2005 could lead to higher than expected infection rates for subsequent summers. "Birds are first line of viral defense," Brian Joseph. Sacramento Bee, October 2, 2005.

"I think we need to turn the argument around and begin insisting to see convincing evidence that spraying reduces west Nile disease. It simply does not exist." Dr. Wallace LeStourgeon.

"Pesticides pose potential risks to human health and our environment. The full biological impact of pyrethroid pesticides is not fully understood because conclusive evidence is not yet available regarding their impact on endocrine dysfunction, neurological damage, and cancer. Because the long-term health effects [are] not known for most pesticides, federal law prohibits pesticide manufacturers from labeling their products as 'safe or non-toxic,' even when used as directed." Text from a no-spray resolution passed by the city of Lakewood, Ohio.