Concerns raised about pesticide program in Bedford
Posted Jun 14, 2010 05:48:23 AM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Pesticide opponents aren’t happy about the city’s pending spray program in Bedford’s Admiral’s Cove Park.
Crews will begin spraying for blacklegged ticks the first week of July with a pesticide known as Dragnet, but a local anti-pesticide crusader is raising questions about the spray’s threat to the health of humans and animals.
The ticks, which have infested the park for several years, are known carriers of Lyme disease. Several residents and animals in the neighbouring communities have been diagnosed with the disease recently, prompting regional councillors to approve the pesticide treatment.
But local anti-pesticide crusader Helen Jones says Dragnet contains something called synthetic pyrethroids, which she says are very toxic.
“It’s classified as a possible carcinogen by the U.S. EPA because it causes liver tumours and lung tumours in mice,” she said. “It also suppresses your ability to fight infections.”
Jones adds the spray isn’t even very effective against the ticks.
“They spend most of their time hiding in vegetation or in places like mouse holes, so that often, they don’t even come in contact with any kind of pesticide being applied in the area,” she said.
The city’s Richard MacLellan says the spray is actually considered quite effective against ticks. He says municipal officials are aware of the cancer-causing agents but felt the spray needed to be used to control the tick infestation.
“It was a heavy decision that both staff considered and regional council considered before accepting this proposal,” “Clearly the benefits of protecting the human health of our residents were at the forefront.”
MacLellan says steps will be taken to minimize exposure of humans to the spray – he notes crews will be spraying only in dense foliage where the ticks tend to gather, and access to the park will also be restricted while the spraying’s underway.
