Malathion and Medfly Program

Apparently the California Department of Food and Agriculture has circulated a bulletin among public officials with the intent of reassuring them of the safety of the Medfly eradication program. Concerned citizens have also provided them with Environmental Protection Agency and CDFA documentation, which hasn’t been made public and which clearly indicates the safety of malathion has not been established with scientific rigor. They can’t plead ignorance.

Surely in the face of such controversy in the medical and scientific community, and even within CDFA itself, the responsible thing to do is call for a moratorium to spraying and ask for open hearings or other form of clarification. Sitting on the fence while we are being sprayed with an inherently toxic material is irresponsible.

It doesn’t take a Ph.D. to logically conclude that the safety of malathion, in any quantity, can’t be assured if the safety data is unreliable or incomplete. Public officials are gambling with our health and welfare, in effect making guinea pigs of us.

Also, some officials aren’t about to question CDFA, in other words rock the boat, unless there is some vast outpouring of public opinion on this matter.

Nonsense! Public officials are the leaders in the community, not the followers. It is their duty to both inform and protect the public from potential hazards. At the very least they could publicly announce that the safety of the spraying program is in question and then present both sides of the issue.

While they are trying to play it cool someone is being sprayed with a chemical that may cause cancer, birth defects or learning disabilities.

PHILLIP CUTLER

Costa Mesa