Florida Now Spraying Neurotoxic Pesticide Banned in Other Countries to Combat Zika

Areas of Miami, Florida, are now being sprayed with the insecticide naled in an attempt to eradicate the Aedes aegypti mosquito — carrier of the zika virus. Naled, a potent neurotoxin that kills mosquitoes on contact, is perfectly safe, or so the Environmental Protection Agency insists, despite Puerto Rico’s rejection of its use to combat the spread of zika there — due to concerns about its safety.

To keep naled airborne where it would be most effective, the agent is sprayed in very fine aerosol droplets — about two tablespoons can be dispersed to cover an area the equivalent of two football fields, a local CBS affiliate reported.

If a ‘far greater’ amount of naled were employed, according to the Florida Department of Health, ‘it could cause a person to salivate more, feel numbness, headaches, dizziness, tremors, nausea, abdominal cramps, sweating, blurred vision, difficulty breathing and a slowed heartbeat.’

Though fear of the zika virus — which may cause microcephaly, or reduced head size, in babies born to infected mothers — and lack of federal funding for a vaccine have left Florida officials desperate for options, the use of naled has stoked controversy.

Beside possible adverse health effects, experts argue whether or not spraying campaigns are even effective in diminishing mosquito populations, particularly because the insects can live indoors or in small, enclosed areas where spray wouldn’t necessarily reach.

On Wednesday, airplanes were set to begin spraying naled aerosol over an approximately 10-square-mile section of Miami, centered over the neighborhood of Wynwood, where zika has reportedly been spreading — but wind conditions forced a delay.

Though fear of the zika virus — which may cause microcephaly, or reduced head size, in babies born to infected mothers — and lack of federal funding for a vaccine have left Florida officials desperate for options, the use of naled has stoked controversy.

Agenda alert.

It takes years to develop a vaccine. Federal money along the way is typically a drop in the bucket except in the case of expenditures for emergency stockpiles of vaccines that have been in the works for years. Federal money spent this year, when Zika was identified as a large threat, can't reasonably be expected to lead to a vaccine for years into the future.

Worse stuff was fogged from trucks every mosquito season where I grew up. It’s nothing to worry about. For those concerned when the spraying starts, go indoors for a few minutes. The spray will fall to the ground fast enough.

"When you grew up" it was DDT.

That was safe for humans. This stuff is not.

Florida has a history of taking Illegal, but effective, steps when faced with a threat to their tourist industry. Otherwise they really don’t care.

I think it was the 1980s or early 1990s and there were a rash of killings of foreign tourists (i.e., the ones with bank), by members of their ‘Amish’ community. Those people rounded up, searched, and basically treated in a way that would have made Rudy Giuliani blush - and this was by a DEMOCRAT GOVERNOR. But that did end the killings. Seems that money talks and Foreign Lives Matter...much more than black or any other color.

So now it’s time for Zika...if this continues and starts affecting tourism expect some REALLY NASTY chemicals (i.e., chemicals that will kill you in 500 years if you drink a gallon a day). Chemicals not only banned by the EPA, but also banned by the UN. And, like the Amish killings, expect the problem to quickly end.

Even though there have been Zika cases reported, there have been no babies born in the US with microcephaly alleged caused by the Zika virus save the one woman from some county in South America who flew to New York City to give birth.

How can the government fix this “problem” to get more taxpayer dollars for the CDC? Simple, spray a neurotoxin which will kill mosquitos but which will also be breathed by pregnant women.

I have a neighbor who is a landscaper. He was telling me the other day that he was bathed in DDT all the time in his younger years. He says mosquitos still don’t touch him, even when they’re bugging his wife. He’s in his 70’s now, healthy and still working.

He did also say DDT was very hard on the bird population, that certain types of bird numbers were decimated and it took years for some to come back. Just an anecdotal story, but interesting.

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.