Malathion Assessment

West Nile Virus is an extremely dangerous and life threatening disease that has continued to be a problem for this country. There have been many cases of this virus, and unfortunately many fatalities. One of the many cities that have recently experienced a problem with this disease is Genericville. This problem is caused mosquitoes that indulge inthe wonderful wetlands that this city has. Not only are mosquitoes pests, but they are the carrier of the West Nile Virus. In order to limit this virus from spreading and causing more cases and casualties in Genericville, there needs to be a safe way to get rid of or limit the number of mosquitoes that are indulging in the several wetlands that Genericville has. One of the solutions that have been suggested is the use of Malathion by doing an aerial spraying and ground application throughout Genericville. Malathion has been used in another city before, which will provide sufficient information for a decision on whether to use this for our city. In order for me to evaluate this solution properly, I need to look at the benefits versus the risks.

Our city thrives on summer tourism and its residents, and wants to keep it that way. The possibility of this disease could cause a decrease in tourists to our city, and also to our economy, which would have a ripple effect on other areas of our city. The possibility of 50 cases of the West Nile Virus in this city is devastating. Moreover, the possibility of two fatalities is even more dreadful. This pesticide called Malathion proposes a drop in these cases from 50 to 5 with each case having less than a 20% chance of being a fatality. Any life saved in this city is worth more than can be put into words. With solutions such as pesticide it is vital that there be some form of educational programs and precautions. These educational programs would be offered to the residents of Genericville at no cost. Because of these things, the solution of Malathion seems to be a sure thing, but the risks of this pesticide far outweigh the benefits.

With every situation like this it is important that all risks and positives are evaluated thoroughly. In saying that, I have decided that I will vote “No” to the decision to use Malathion as a pesticide throughout the city. Although tourism could be affected by the West Nile Virus, tourism can also be affected in the long run with the unknown risks that could last throughout the summer. Tourists should be aware of the possibility of harm when they travel. This is true for all places such as traveling oversees, and to distant countries. There is also the point that there could be 90 cases of Malathion-related illnesses from the proposed application, which are 40 more estimated cases than the West Nile Virus estimate itself. That is almost double the risk than the virus. These cases could also prove to be fatal just like the West Nile Virus. Also, the monetary resources could be used to educate the residents on efforts to avoid exposure and education about the Virus so that residents can be aware of how to keep themselves safe. Those monetary resources could also be used to provide items such as bug spray and lotions for the poor and uneducated residents of Genericville. Being able to have these resources and education alone would reduce the risk of being infected by this virus and also reduce the cases for the virus. Although the proposal of Malathion was very tempting and could help the situation, the one thing that truly made my decision was that there were too many unknowns. Aside from the pesticide killing the natural predators of mosquitoes, and possibly harming the animals that thrive in the wetlands, which was horrible as well, there was the fact that too many questions are unanswered about the short and long term health side effects of using Malathion. We don’t know what the risks are, but we do know that long-term effects are possible. Therefore, I have chosen to take the precautionary principle to decide my decision to say no to the use of Malathion in Genericville.

References

Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. (2005). Toxicologic information about insecticides used for eradicating mosquitoes. Malathion (CAS Number 121-75-5).Retrieved January 22, 2009, from Malathion.html.

Center for Disease Control and Prevention. (2007). 2006 West Nile Virus activity
in the United States. West Nile Virus Statistics, Surveillance, and Control. Retrieved January 22, 2009, from