Recently, the claim that residents became sick from past treatments has held the public’s attention and has been the subject of demonstrations. Public health officials with three state departments thoroughly reviewed health claims submitted during and after the aerial pheromone treatments last year in Monterey and Santa Cruz counties and could find no link between the claims and the treatments. As the Governor recently said in Monterey, the spraying is safe, and “there is nothing that says otherwise.”
I also hear a number of misleading and inaccurate references to describe the pheromone, including: hormone, carcinogen, mutagen, endocrine disruptor and other inaccurate descriptions. These unsupported claims overlook the fact that the federal Environmental Protection Agency, our state's Department of Pesticide Regulation and numerous health agencies have thoroughly reviewed and unanimously approved these products and their classification as pheromones. In fact, the pheromone products we have used in this program are approved for treating organic crops; they are safe enough that the law states you don’t even have to wait or wash them off after a treatment before you eat the produce.
However, to thoroughly ensure everyone’s safety, the aerial spraying has been postponed while we complete what’s known as “six-pack” toxicology tests in addition to the normal extensive tests on the pheromone products. These tests thoroughly test toxicity for eye, inhalation, respiratory and other potential irritants. I am confident that these additional tests will reassure Californians that we are taking the safest, most health-conscious and most progressivour state of this very real threat to our agriculture, environment and economy. I implore everyone to rely on sound science and to shut the door on false information. For more information about the LBAM project, please visit our website at www.cdfa.ca.gov or call the LBAM hotline at 1-800-491-1899.
As a public official, I am sworn to protect the public, the environment and the ecosystems that make California such a uniquely productive and sustainable resource. I take that responsibility seriously, and I vow to pursue only the safest, most environmentally friendly means available.
Again, thank you for writing.
Sincerely,
A.G. Kawamura, Secretary California Department of Food and Agriculture
This quote summarizes the nature of my concerns and the content of personal experiences which stir my activism:
"Necessity is the plea for every infringement on human freedom. It is the argument of tyrants; it is the creed of slaves". --Paul Revere, House of Commons
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