Report back on the Anvil Spraying of last week

from Julie Peterson
9/12/06

A Million Thanks to all the many who wrote beautiful letters of support and who called Alderman Schulter to let him know that you were concerned about the health effects of Anvil pesticide and the lack of effectiveness. We are so very thankful too, to Alderman Gene Schulter, who arranged a meeting for us with the Commissioner of the Department of Public Health, Dr. Terry Mason, and Entomologist, Dr. Bill Paul at the Ward 47 office.

Last Thursday, for over 90 minutes Pete Leki and I presented the studies which lead us to our concerns. The study which shows the synthetic pyrethroids show up in school children when their urine is tested, with higher levels for older children (showing a buildup over years) and lower levels for children of parents who thought their exposure was lower (showing that avoiding pesticides through organic pest control can protect your kids) We showed them the study which showed synthetic pyrethroids cause disruption of thyroid function. Another study which showed that these chemicals can mimic estrogen, meaning that it needs to be studied to see if it increases the rate of breast cancer. Neurotoxic effects.. lung irritant.. and more.. and to top it off, Anvil is toxic to fish. And bees that land on flowers which have been sprayed may die.

All of this and two studies say the spray doesn't work to reduce mosquitoes because the eggs keep hatching unless you get them in the standing water. Yet they refused to cancel the spray. Why?

Dr. Paul reported that they do their own monitoring and that their own results show a 75% reduction in mosquitoes after spraying. That's a huge deviation from the Harvard School of Health study, which found NO difference in mosquitoes after spraying. Dr. Paul says they didn't spray as much because it was a rural area. Perhaps. But we want to see the data.

We asked them not to spray near the river because the spray isn't supposed to be used near the river. We were given no assurance and in fact later witnessed trucks spraying the top of the riverbank. Anvil is toxic to fish and aquatic life.

We asked them if they would turn off the spray if people were on the sidewalks, children playing, bicycle commuters, diners in sidewalk cafes, babies in strollers, pregnant women. Dr Paul replied that it wasn't practical to be switching the spray on and off. We wish to thank the truck driver who did not spray us as we held vigil Thursday night at Campbell and Hutchinson. Unfortunately, they turned the spray back on just before the river.

The good news (and it's very very good news) is that Dr. Mason pledged to Alderman Schulter that they would convene a working group of experts to reevaluate the spray. The group will meet this winter and will include experts which will be chosen by us, the community of Beyond Today. We will seek experts in other responses to West Nile such as utilized in Washington, D.C., the health effects of Anvil, and the effectiveness of various methods. I and other volunteers have already reached out to other organizations for assistance in this matter.

This is an amazing opportunity. The practices of government don't respond to science unless there is enough pressure and political support.

This issue is a big part of Beyond Today because that's what the community is feeling very strongly about. So strongly, that many put their bodies in front of the trucks last year and pledge to do it again next year. I need to communicate that both Beyond Today, the organization, and I as an individual member, can and do not advocate anything that breaks the law or could put you or anyone in a dangerous situation such as that. Our organization is working with our Alderman and the Department of Public Health to bring full light to the research to make sure that future WNV prevention plans don't ignore the environment or assume that unstudied health effects should be assumed to be no health effects. That being said, I personally have a huge amount of respect for Martin Luther King, Gandhi, and those who choose their path when the government chooses to hurt the people and is unresponsive to good-faith engagement of the community is all available means to redress the injustice.. When the government does something wrong and the people struggle for change, there is a kind of protest called non-violent civil disobedience. That is where you put your body in the way of the violent action. Martin Luther King did it, Gandhi did it. Greenpeace does it. If you haven't heard of this beautiful selfless action before, please take a moment and read about it sometime. I saw the Gandhi movie when I was young and admired the intense love with which it was done. It was the first revolution by means of non-violence civil disobedience. Since Beyond Today started, 3 and a half years ago, our book discussion group read several non-violence books. It is the way to end wars and it does require study. I encourage you all to take a moment and read an essay or an article on the basic concept of CD (non-violent civil disobedience). With all these wars and chemicals, the world needs that knowledge. However, I have decided personally that for me, now is not the time for CD. Now is the time to come to the table with our Alderman, who time and again, has proved himself an advocate for peace and the environment, and to come to the table with the City's Department of Public Health, who has pledged to genuinely examine the no-spray response of Washington, D.C., Cincinnati, and other cities, and to do our best to bring public attention on the issue. As an organizer for Beyond Today, I do not control the actions of anyone but myself, of course, but I will do my best to continue to organize education campaigns, public forums, and protests to raise public awareness of this issue.

Please continue to spread the word and learn more. The more I learn, the more I realize that while it can be overwhelming to realize that unsafe chemicals are part of life, by default, in Chicago, the fact is, it's not that hard to change. It's safer, cheaper, easier, and more pleasant, heck, sometimes it's even the law!. I never want anyone to have the taste of Anvil again. We can do better. Don't get overwhelmed and don't worry, you have a great community and we are working together. You are invited to get more involved whenever you have time or resources and we totally respect the work that you are doing when you need to spend time on other things. We will do our best to coordinate a rotating team of volunteers as work and family schedules wax and wane. Together we can make a difference! I am honored to be part of this community.

I invite you particularly to research The Precautionary Principle. It's connected to every issue Beyond Today members care about, including Global Warming.

one definition..."Proponents of a potentially harmful technology must show the new technology is harmless before the new technology is used"

Beyond Today is a community-driven group effort. Please email me if you'd like to become one of our researchers or want to be part of this project in some way.

Julie