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No Spray News James Irwin |
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No Spray News James Irwin |
March 11, 2002 Page 6
Mosquito Spraying & Bioterrorism
Staying alert against bioterrorismWednesday, October 17, 2001
COMMUNITY VOICES
By ELIZABETH TERRY
The terrorist assault on our country is both frightening and infuriating. Law enforcement agencies and other first responders are on high alert. Many of us would like to help, but do not know what we could do that would be useful.
One of the best ways we can help is by being observant and reporting to law enforcers anything that seems out of the ordinary. At the same time, we do not want to burden an already overburdened system with spurious reports. Knowledge of some of the things a terrorist might use in a chemical or biological attack can help us to discriminate between normal commerce, and the purchase or rental of ostensibly normal items for a terrorist attack.
Watch List for Chemical or Biological Terrorism
Dissemination Equipment: (Includes mosquito sprayers)
Vehicles of Concern: (Includes - truck mounted spraying equipment)
Author Elizabeth Terry, PaIm Coast, served four years on the National Intelligence Council and was cochair of the Nuclear, Chemical and Biological Subcommittee of the Interagency Counterterrorism Committee. She wrote Tuesday for this page about anthrax as an agent of bioterrorism. The Daytona Beach News-Journal
| Contamination Happens The maker of the brand of malathion, called "Fyfanon," used by Columbia and Richland County, has been sued by Florida citizens claiming that they were harmed by an especially toxic contaminant in the Fyfanon sprayed on them for medflies. The citizens contend that the contamination resulted from the insecticide being "cooked" by improper |
high-temperature storage. (The Fyfanon label requires storage temperatures
of 77 degrees or less.) The manufacturer disputes these charges, and claims that even the level of contamination alleged would not cause harm. EPA found unacceptable levels of this contaminant in New York and New Jersey samples of Fyfanon, but said that it did not pose a health risk. |
Note: I haven't verified that the city of Columbia uses Fyfanon brand malathion