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CASS Press Release
January 23, 2008
(Download
pdf file)
California Alliance To Stop the
Spray (CASS)
For Immediate Release
Contact Person:
Roy Upton, California Alliance to
Stop the Spray (CASS)
461-6317
herbal@got.net
Bonnie Keet, California Alliance
to Stop the Spray (CASS)
431-0773
bonnie619@yahoo.com
CDFA to Aerial
Spray Long Lasting, Untested Chemicals,
Public Interest Groups Outraged
Public interest groups today reacted
to the CDFA's announcement that
aerial spraying will remain at the
center of its efforts to eradicate
the light brown apple moth, which
is considered a threat to California
agriculture.
"It seems like the state learned
nothing from the first rounds of
spraying, which led to more than
600 illness complaints by citizens
in Santa Cruz and Monterey Counties,
many of them severe," said Bonnie
Keet of California Alliance to Stop
the Spray.
Keet continued, "Under a declared
emergency, the CDFA rushed into
spraying hundreds of highly populated
neighborhoods last fall with pesticides
that had never been tested on humans,
and now they plan to continue doing
so for many years to come. How is
this consistent with Article One
of the California Constitution,
which says that citizens have a
right to safety?"
The CDFA has said that it is currently
testing new synthetic pheromone
mixtures in New Zealand, with the
goal of finding a new spray substance
that lasts longer in the environment
once it has been sprayed.
Santa Cruz City Council Member Tony
Madrigal states, "Clearly this is
a blatant attempt from the CDFA
to make the public forget their
families and children are constantly
being exposed to untested chemicals
every day, every minute, every hour.
Just because the planes aren't spraying
us overhead doesn't mean the chemicals
aren't still affecting our communities."
Meanwhile, the CDFA is also testing
new methods of eradication, including
pheromone-scented traps laced with
a pesticide to kill the moths, and
the introduction of a species of
wasp that is a natural predator
of the moths.
"We applaud the CDFA for its willingness
to test safer eradication measures,
but we are utterly dismayed that
the state of California, under Governor
Schwarzenegger's leadership, continues
to carry out a potentially grave
experiment by spraying human beings
with untested pesticides," said
Lori Cioffi of LBAMspray.com.
Cioffi noted that the aerial spraying
goes against internationally accepted
codes of ethics, which prohibit
experimentation on human subjects
without their informed consent.
"Citizens should be outraged that
they, their families and neighbors
are being subjected to untested
and potentially harmful substances
against their will," she said.
The CDFA began aerial spraying in
September last year and has so far
completed three rounds, two in Monterey
County and one in Santa Cruz County.
Aerial spraying could also take
place in densely populated areas
of San Francisco and the East Bay,
where many moths have been found.
Although the CDFA is acting under
a declared emergency, saying that
the light brown apple moth is a
new pest that has been in the state
for only about a year, experts such
as James Carey, a professor of entomology
at University of California Davis,
say that the moth has likely been
in California for many years and
is far too established to be eradicated.
CDFA's recent decision to slightly
delay future pesticide sprayings
of residential areas was a welcome
sigh of relief for the California
Alliance to Stop the Spray (CASS),
a group that was formed just a few
weeks ago by concerned citizens
from Monterey and Santa Cruz. While
this short-term victory is well
received, the work of CASS is not
over, according to CASS representative
Roy Upton. "We must continue to
educate the public, our local, state,
and federal representatives and
agencies about the inherent dangers
of pesticide use and continue to
move California towards a truly
environmentally sustainable agricultural
market, while safeguarding the health
of Californians. While our initial
goal of stopping the next round
of spraying has been accomplished,
we must ensure the State's current
eradication program is not simply
substituted with another equally
destructive program. The real work
of CASS has just begun."
A summary of the 643 complaints
of illnesses received by state agencies
and public interest groups can be
seen on www.lbamspray.com.
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