By Juan Montoya
If you were around in 1966, you might remember the massive aerial spraying that was conducted over a 20-mile square area in Brownsville-Matamoros area after a medfly infestation was detected that came in through the Port of Brownsville.
Crews with malathion backpacks searched out every citrus and fruit tree in the area and sprayed them. But to us kids back then, the aerial spraying presented us with an opportunity to play in the street and run under the low-flying planes pretending they were after us.
Recent news reports that a pilot study found air samples in the Hidalgo County homes of pregnant Hispanic women contained levels of household pesticides that could harm fetuses and young children makes us wonder whether the massive spraying that entire neighborhoods were subjected to back then might have also affected the health of the people.
Back then, after a round of spraying (and there were several consecutive sprayings), there was a pall of dust over everything, including the parked cars. Over time, we noticed that on some cars, the paint would change color. But as kids, we never thought that would harm anyone.
Going back over some of the literature, we found that ever since 1956, malathion-bait sprays have been used extensively for the control of Mediterranean fruit fly (Medfly), and, more recently, Caribbean fruit fly (Caribfly).
Ten serious infestations of Medfly were eradicated successfully in Florida using malathion-bait spray mixtures applied by ground and/or air . This same strategy was used to eradicate Medfly in Brownsville in 1966.
The effort to eradicate the flies started when a single male Mediterranean fruit fly suspect was collected in a detection trap baited with a synthetic male lure in Brownsville on June 13, 1966. The specimen was identified by Richard H. Foote on June 15.
This was the first record of the pest in Texas. The first larval infestation was found in calamondin on June 16 in the same general area. Other hosts subsequently found infested included peach and sour orange.The Hidalgo County study was conducted by the School of Medicine at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, which includes the RAHC campus in Harlingen.
Fernando Del Valle, in the Valley Mrning Star reported that Beatriz Tapia, M.D., the study’s lead author the study, found prevalent use of household pesticide sprays.
“Increasingly, pesticide exposures are linked to neurodevelopment disorders such as autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder,” said Claudia S. Miller, M.D., the study’s co-author who is a professor of environmental and occupational medicine. “Planning for pregnancy today should include not only prenatal vitamins and a good diet but also avoiding potentially hazardous pesticides.”
The study verified conclusions of a larger 2007 survey that found household pesticide levels were higher than desirable in the homes of 102 pregnant minority women in New York City, Tapia said.
The Harlingen study found similar pesticide levels in both urban and rural homes, Tapia said.
The local study also found that 12 percent of homes surveyed contained traces of agricultural pesticides, said Tapia. She said the New York study didn’t test for agricultural chemicals. And although many researhers say that malathion is relatively benign over time, the stuff that was sprayed in Brownsville was callled "techincal" malathion, a mixture of malathion and other additives that when combined pose s threat to human health. According to Dr. John Whitman Ray, N.D., M.D.(M.A.) malathion and other organophosphate insecticides are neurotoxins that "in mild to moderate poisonings, early central nervous system effects include (in order of appearance), tension, anxiety, jitteriness, restlessness, emotional lability (emotional ups and downs), giddiness (dizziness), insomnia with excessive dreaming and occasional nightmares."
According to Dr. Jorge R. Mancillas, Ph.D. Neurobiologist, University of California, Los Angeles: The primary manner in which malathion affects humans, animals and insects is by binding and inacitivating an enzyme called cholinesterase.
A short way to say all this is: Malathion and other organophosphates, interfere with normal cell communication by inhibiting cholinesterase.
The textbook description of the symptoms of Malathion poisoning include increased lacrimination (tears), irritated eyes, blurred vision, breathing difficulties, muscle paralysis, vomiting, diarrhoea, increased mucous discharge and flu-like symptoms.
The central nervous system can be affected leading to headaches, dizziness, weakness, blurry vision. Which of these symptoms with be displayed depend upon the amounts of malathion and the mode of exposure. If the dose of Malathion is really large, patients can display generalised convulsions, psychological disturbances, coma and death from respiratory or cardiac failure.
Dr. Samuet Epstein, M.D. puts it this way: "Pure Malathion has relatively weak acute toxicity. When you look at the technical Malathion, the technical Malathion containing the impurities, there you have toxicity which is about 25-fold higher.
If you were around in 1966, you might remember the massive aerial spraying that was conducted over a 20-mile square area in Brownsville-Matamoros area after a medfly infestation was detected that came in through the Port of Brownsville.
Crews with malathion backpacks searched out every citrus and fruit tree in the area and sprayed them. But to us kids back then, the aerial spraying presented us with an opportunity to play in the street and run under the low-flying planes pretending they were after us.Back then, after a round of spraying (and there were several consecutive sprayings), there was a pall of dust over everything, including the parked cars. Over time, we noticed that on some cars, the paint would change color. But as kids, we never thought that would harm anyone.
Going back over some of the literature, we found that ever since 1956, malathion-bait sprays have been used extensively for the control of Mediterranean fruit fly (Medfly), and, more recently, Caribbean fruit fly (Caribfly).
Ten serious infestations of Medfly were eradicated successfully in Florida using malathion-bait spray mixtures applied by ground and/or air . This same strategy was used to eradicate Medfly in Brownsville in 1966.
The effort to eradicate the flies started when a single male Mediterranean fruit fly suspect was collected in a detection trap baited with a synthetic male lure in Brownsville on June 13, 1966. The specimen was identified by Richard H. Foote on June 15.
This was the first record of the pest in Texas. The first larval infestation was found in calamondin on June 16 in the same general area. Other hosts subsequently found infested included peach and sour orange.The Hidalgo County study was conducted by the School of Medicine at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, which includes the RAHC campus in Harlingen.
Fernando Del Valle, in the Valley Mrning Star reported that Beatriz Tapia, M.D., the study’s lead author the study, found prevalent use of household pesticide sprays.
“Increasingly, pesticide exposures are linked to neurodevelopment disorders such as autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder,” said Claudia S. Miller, M.D., the study’s co-author who is a professor of environmental and occupational medicine. “Planning for pregnancy today should include not only prenatal vitamins and a good diet but also avoiding potentially hazardous pesticides.”
The study verified conclusions of a larger 2007 survey that found household pesticide levels were higher than desirable in the homes of 102 pregnant minority women in New York City, Tapia said.
The Harlingen study found similar pesticide levels in both urban and rural homes, Tapia said.
The local study also found that 12 percent of homes surveyed contained traces of agricultural pesticides, said Tapia. She said the New York study didn’t test for agricultural chemicals. And although many researhers say that malathion is relatively benign over time, the stuff that was sprayed in Brownsville was callled "techincal" malathion, a mixture of malathion and other additives that when combined pose s threat to human health. According to Dr. John Whitman Ray, N.D., M.D.(M.A.) malathion and other organophosphate insecticides are neurotoxins that "in mild to moderate poisonings, early central nervous system effects include (in order of appearance), tension, anxiety, jitteriness, restlessness, emotional lability (emotional ups and downs), giddiness (dizziness), insomnia with excessive dreaming and occasional nightmares."
According to Dr. Jorge R. Mancillas, Ph.D. Neurobiologist, University of California, Los Angeles: The primary manner in which malathion affects humans, animals and insects is by binding and inacitivating an enzyme called cholinesterase.
A short way to say all this is: Malathion and other organophosphates, interfere with normal cell communication by inhibiting cholinesterase.
The textbook description of the symptoms of Malathion poisoning include increased lacrimination (tears), irritated eyes, blurred vision, breathing difficulties, muscle paralysis, vomiting, diarrhoea, increased mucous discharge and flu-like symptoms.
The central nervous system can be affected leading to headaches, dizziness, weakness, blurry vision. Which of these symptoms with be displayed depend upon the amounts of malathion and the mode of exposure. If the dose of Malathion is really large, patients can display generalised convulsions, psychological disturbances, coma and death from respiratory or cardiac failure.
Dr. Samuet Epstein, M.D. puts it this way: "Pure Malathion has relatively weak acute toxicity. When you look at the technical Malathion, the technical Malathion containing the impurities, there you have toxicity which is about 25-fold higher.
Technical Malathion (as different from purified Malathion) contains a wide range of "unlabled" highly toxic thioate impurities, besides other toxic "inert" ingredients. Additionally, "Malathion induced a wide range of delayed effects, including disturbances in learning, genetic abnormalities and cancer." This statement can be found in the forward of Malathion: Toxic Time Bomb by Betsey Russel-Manning.
Researchers indicte that in 1966, 20 square miles (12,800 acres) were sprayed with the pesticide. At an average of 2.4 ounces per acre mixed with bait and other chemicals, this means that the residents were exposed to about 500 gallons each spraying.We know of no study that was done after the 1966 spraying in Brownsville, and if someone does know of one, would love to have access to it. Understanding the past is the best way to take precautions n the future.
3 comments:
Asi como estan fumigando la ciudad entera con repelentes para los animales fastidiosos y enfermisos, ASI DEBEN DE FUMIGAR LA CORTE ENTERA Y LAS INSTALACIONES DE LA CIUDAD PARA PODER DESASERNOS DE CORRUPTOS Y GENTUSA NACA Y RATERA.
RATAS DE DOS PATAS!!!
More dangerous than pesticides in the RGV is "ignorance". We seem to be willing to accept ignorance and corruption....but take up a battle against things that make plants grow. Tree Huggers complain against SpaceX, but seem to ignore the trashed beaches...caused by our citizens. Our politicians rely on ignrance to keep them in office and we deny any effort at progress by looking at issues that most local citizens don't even understand. Our young mothers and fathers kill their young. We have children raising children. But, alas, we take on the pesticides. Our greatest export from the RGV is our gifted and talented kids...they never want to return to this Third World abyss.
I remebered they sprayed like hell right after hurricane buelah
in 1967 what chemicals did they use back then? DDT
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