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Robert Lederman (A.R.T.I.S.T.) Artists Response to Illegal State Tactics

Robert Lederman (A.R.T.I.S.T.) Artists Response to Illegal State Tactics

Media Begins Discussing Malathion Dangers

Media Begins Discussing Malathion Dangers [A press conference to announce a class action lawsuit to immediately stop further spraying is scheduled for Thursday, 9/16/99 at 1 pm at the office of Joel Kupferman, Environmental Law & Justice Project 315 Broadway, suite 200 Buzzer #1 2 blocks North of Chambers St.New York City] "There's absolutely no danger to anyone from this spraying...There are some people who are engaged in the business of wanting to frighten people out of their minds." Mayor Giuliani-Newsday, 9/14/99 More than 10 days after the Giuliani administration began widespread aerial spraying of Malathion on the people of New York City the inherent dangers of such a policy are finally beginning to be aired by the media. While the Mayor continues to insist that Malathion, a nerve gas, “...in the same family as nerve gasses developed during WWII”, (NY Times 9/14/99), is completely safe, the people of NY and some experts are joining a growing chorus of fear, anger and disgust with Giuliani’s actions. “Peter Lehner, the top environmental lawyer in the office of Eliot L. Spitzer, the New York State Attorney General, said...it was important not to gloss over the fact that malathion is a chemical that was designed to kill things, that it had sickened people in the past and that the Federal Environmental Protection Agency prohibits those who sell any pesticide from describing it as harmless. "The E.P.A. clearly says don't call these things harmless, because they are not," Lehner said yesterday. He said his office yesterday called the City Law Department to encourage city officials to change the way they describe malathion.” NY Times 9/14/99 Due to the fact that the extensive daily coverage of the spraying in the media has, until now, almost totally avoided any discussion on the dangers of Malathion most New Yorkers have taken little if any precaution to protect themselves, their children or their pets from the spray. Thousands of people have been directly sprayed while jogging or sitting outside their homes. Reports of groups of teenagers standing in the street and watching as helicopters directly sprayed them from overhead are being reported. Others had been prepared to avoid the spray but failed to do so due to sudden changes in the spraying schedule which they were unaware of. Thousands of homeless people who sleep on the streets of NY have been directly sprayed from both helicopters and trucks. “When helicopters began spraying malathion at dusk yesterday over the treetops of Riverside Park on the Upper West Side, parents and baby sitters grabbed children at a playground at 110th Street and fled in confusion.” NY Times 9/14/99 Radio talk shows have received thousands of calls from frightened listeners expressing their concerns about the spraying and doubts about the Mayor’s real intentions. The theories being talked about range from the idea that the entire “epidemic” is being staged by the Federal government in order to create public acceptance for mass spraying of urban populations to the idea that the Mayor has deliberately exaggerated the mosquito problem in order to showcase his crisis management abilities. Such fears are bolstered by Giuliani’s tendency throughout his tenure as Mayor to use an extremely heavy-handed approach while dealing with minorities, street artists, community gardeners, the homeless, cabbies, CUNY students and protesters. The City’s legal department is actively preparing for the likelihood of numerous personal injury lawsuits that are expected to result from the spraying. Malathion is known to be immediately harmful to those with immune system problems and asthma, medical problems that afflict hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers. In the City’s minority community in particular, AIDs and asthma are at epidemic levels. The long-term effects of Malathion include mutations in DNA. As most of the suspected cases of Encephalitis continue to turn out to have been incorrectly diagnosed, more and more doubts about the necessity of mass spraying are being expressed. Skeptics have noted thats) ARTISTpres@aol.com (718) 369-2111 http://www.openair.org/alerts/artist/nyc.html Press ReleaseNew York City Department of Health 9/13/99 “Most people who are infected with the SLE virus will recover. I urge New Yorkers to be calm and cooperative as we continue our surveillance for this virus and do whatever is necessary to protect the health of our City," the Mayor concluded. "The public should be reassured that younger adults are most likely to fully recover from an SLE infection. These additional confirmed cases of SLE represent infections that occurred prior to September 3, when our spraying efforts began. However, any individual who experiences a severe heada any other SLE-like symptoms, including stiff neck or disorientation, should seek medical attention immediately," Dr. Cohen concluded”. In a Flash, Mosquito Sprayers Move Through City - NY Times 9/14/99 "I knew they were coming," Crystal McKenny, 22, said at 2:50 A.M. Sunday, about 15 minutes after a convoy of trucks passed a building where she was sitting on the steps with a friend at 151st Street and Broadway in northwest Harlem. "I just forgot we were first. I was going to be inside." In most cases, the smell quickly disappeared after the trucks went by, and people were often able to return to the streets. The stench, although powerful, was sometimes so short lived that some, including a group of Columbia University students at 114th Street, did not even realize that the spray truck had passed through. In Harlem, Virginia Heath, 52, a mental health worker, and her husband Jose Nina, 46, a former outfielder for the Los Angeles Dodgers, who live on Riverside Drive, were momentarily distracted from their view of the Hudson River and the New Jersey skyline as one of the trucks roared by. "My question is, how come they want to spray everywhere but midtown on a Saturday night?" Ms. Heath said as her husband held his nose. "It must be some chemical that is hazardous to your health, that they don't want to give to rich folks." NY Times 9/14/99-As Mosquito Spraying Continues, Officials Reiterate Safety of the Campaign As New York City continued its assault on mosquitoes for the 11th day on Monday, with helicopters swooping over parks in Manhattan and planes spraying malathion in the other boroughs, city officials tried to reassure some residents who seemed more worried about the pesticide than about the potentially deadly disease it is intended to combat. Federal and city officials have been saying for days that the pesticide is essentially harmless, but some state officials and independent pesticide experts said it was important not to play down the fact that malathion had caused some human illness and the cumulative effects of exposure were still not well understood..."There is absolutely no danger to anyone from this spray," Giuliani said, although he did quickly add that "there is a slight chance that if you were to just breathe it in, you could get sick." Giuliani's view was echoed by Dr. Roger S. Nasci, a research entomologist at the Federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, who appeared at the same event. "This is a very safe chemical with a very good track record," Dr. Nasci said. "To put new fears into the public eye when they're unwarranted, I feel is inappropriate."...When helicopters began spraying malathion at dusk yesterday over the treetops of Riverside Park on the Upper West Side, parents and baby sitters grabbed children at a playground at 110th Street and fled in confusion...Peter Lehner, the top environmental lawyer in the office of Eliot L. Spitzer, the New York State Attorney General, said...it was important not to gloss over the fact that malathion is a chemical that was designed to kill things, that it had sickened people in the past and that the Federal Environmental Protection Agency prohibits those who sell any pesticide from describing it as harmless. "The E.P.A. clearly says don't call these things harmless, because they are not," Lehner said yesterday. He said his office yesterday called the City Law Department to encourage city officials to change the way they describe malathion...Malathion belongs to the same family of organophosphate compounds as some nerve gases developed during World War II, but extensive testing over the years has revealed no direct effects on human health from small amounts, according to E.P.A. documents. It is a nerve poison, killing insects by disrupting the transmission of signals by neurons...In 1997 and 1998, similar spraying operations against Mediterranean fruit flies took place across Florida. During the 1998 operation, which ran from April to October, state health officials received 230 reports of health problems attributed to the spraying, including asthma attacks, nausea, dizziness and headaches. They ultimately concluded that 123 cases of illness were probably caused by the spraying, said Dr. Omar Shafey, pesticide poisoning surveillance program coordinator for the Florida Health Department. In a report on the 1998 spraying, Dr. Shafey recommended that further spraying of fruit flies not be allowed in residential areas because of the confirmed health problems. He said the benefits to local fruit farms did not outweigh the adverse health effects or public anxiety...Jay Feldman, the executive director of the National Coalition Against the Misuse of Pesticides, said that New York City officials were displaying a "cavalier attitude" about malathion. Last night, many city residents were left wondering whether helicopter spraying over occupied parks was the right approach. Just a few hours after Giuliani spoke at City Hall yesterday, mothers and children playing in Riverside Park scattered in near panic as a helicopter appeared overhead to spread the chemical. Ricki Stern, 33, a documentary filmmaker, was in the park playground at 110th Street with Cole, her 5-month-old son, and Kira, her 3-year-old daughter, when the spraying began. "They were spraying right on top of me," she said. "You have to believe it's not good for children. It kills insects. It has to have some bad effect. As I ran I saw a couple of guys waving their arms like, 'get this stuff off of me.' I saw it come back and I could see the stuff spewing out -- a white smoke. I got a weird taste in my mouth." As Ms. Stern spoke to a reporter, a helicopter flying lower this time made a third pass. "Now I'm really irate," she said. "Let's go." NY Post 9/14/99 CITY BUG-BOMBS CENTRAL PARK MOSQUITOES “Giuliani said spraying from trucks in Central Park would wrap up before dawn - leaving enough time for the chemicals to dissipate before the arrival of joggers and dog-walkers. "They'll be OK," the mayor said of early morning parkgoers. "There's no health hazards to dogs from either one of the two insecticides that's being used. There shouldn't be any problem at all."...One expert on insecticides told The Post that malathion - the main chemical being used by the city - can pose long-term health risks if it isn't used properly. "It's a two-edged sword," said Robert Simon, a chemist and toxicologist, whose Virginia-based firm Toxicology International studies the effects of insecticides. "The upside of malathion is certainly that you can kill mosquitoes. But the thing is, there are lots of ways to kill mosquitoes that are a lot less toxic," said Simon. Simon said the byproduct of malathion after it breaks down can be more dangerous than the insecticide itself”. NEWSDAY 9/14/99 More Cases Reported; Rudy Defends Tactics “The Natural Resources Defense Council issued a statement calling in part for keeping adults and children off lawns and out of sandboxes for as long as 10 days to be "super safe," in the words of Alan Metrick, the group's communications director. Childrens' toys should also be brought inside before spraying, he said. At City Hall, Mayor Rudolph Giuliani and Health Commissioner Neal Cohen continued resisting implications of any safety threat from the spraying. "There's absolutely no danger to anyone from this spraying," Cohen said at a news conference. Giuliani added, "There are some people who are engaged in the business of wanting to frighten people out of their minds." Robert Lederman, President of A.R.T.I.S.T. (Artists’ Response To Illegal State Tactics) ARTISTpres@aol.com (718) 369-2111 http://www.openair.org/alerts/artist/nyc.html In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, this material is distributed without profit or payment to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving this information for non-profit research and educational purposes only. For an extensive web based research site on the documented harmful effects of Malathion see http://www.chem-tox.com/malathion/research/index. html

Malathion Fact Sheet

Malathion Man: Giuliani Poisons Eight Million New Yorkers in Order to Look Decisive A passive public, a compromised media and a useless City Council are allowing a health disaster to be criminally perpetrated by Mayor Rudolph Giuliani in order to enhance his political image. The Mayor and his Emergency Management team are lying. Malathion is not “harmless” nor is it “safe”. Malathion is a nerve gas that causes a wide range of immediate side effects as well as long-term genetic and organ damage. For an extensive web based research site on the documented harmful effects of Malathion see http://www.chem-tox.com/malathion/research/index.htm Contrary to the Mayor’s assertions, children are very much at risk from exposure to this toxic chemical and are especially susceptible to suffering the long-term effects of the genetic and organ damage Malathion is known to cause. Because of their lower body weight and the relative immaturity of their organ and immune system development, children are even more susceptible to this chemical than adults. Repeated exposure, exactly what the Mayor has in mind, is known to significantly increase sensitivity and health effects. “After the entire city is doused, the spraying will be repeated every five days for at least five weeks...Mayor Giuliani said. City officials suggested that residents remain indoors during the spraying, but asserted that malathion is not dangerous, though it can cause some problems for people with respiratory illnesses”. .-NY Times 9/10/99 While it’s unlikely that spraying the City with Malathion will cause immediate deaths, and while it’s also true that a healthy adult would have to suffer heavy exposure for an immediately fatal reaction there is no reason for anyone to feel comfortable about this mass spraying. This is the first time in New York City history that such a massive spraying campaign is taking place. If it’s allowed to continue however, it surely won’t be the last. In the coming year can we expect regular visits from helicopters and spray trucks dosing us with other chemicals the Mayor has deemed necessary for our quality of life? DES and Thalidomide were also once considered completely safe and were prescribed by doctors to millions of pregnant women, none of whom suffered immediate health effects. It was only years later, after millions of children were born deformed, sterile and genetically damaged that the criminal idiocy of using these “safe” chemicals was admitted by health authorities. DDT was also once considered so safe the public was not even told to wash it off their food. For how many decades did the Federal government know that cigarettes caused cancer and numerous other fatal diseases yet did nothing to regulate the tobacco industry, which paid for the campaigns of countless elected officials. Like cigarette manufacturers, the chemical industry is one of the most powerful lobbying groups in the U.S. and the production of insecticides and pesticides is one of this nation’s biggest and most profitable industries. Are we to take their word and that of Mayor Giuliani that Malathion is safe? The risk of exposure to Malathion will not be limited to those unlucky enough to be standing on the street when a helicopter or truck is spraying. Malathion residue will be tracked into homes on our shoes and clothing. After the liquid spray dries it will blow into our windows as a dust for months to come. Its residue will be on every tree and plant, on every car and on every food product in every store. New Yorkers will be breathing and eating Malathion for years to come. “Based on U.S. Food and Drug Administration residue analyses, malathion is the most commonly detected pesticide in food products.(98) Malathion residues were in 18 percent of the 936 food items tested, indicative of its widespread use in many crops. It is also commonly found in animal feeds. In 1988, EPA estimated that children could be consuming malathion residues 1133 percent in excess, and adults 507 percent in excess, of the amount currently determined not to cause adverse health affects.1In produce, malathion tends to concentrate in the peel,(99) and may not be readily removed by washing in water alone.(100) Peeling, cooking, and heat processing reduce residues.(99-101) In one greenhouse study, malathion applied at recommended rates was easily detected on plant surfaces up to 9 weeks after spraying.(102) Malathion residues increased with storage time in treated wheat, barley,(101,103) and rice.(104) Apparently, this occurred because the malathion dust used to treat the grain adheres to the grains' surface and was absorbed over time” -Malathion Fact Sheet. Loretta Brenner. journal of Pesticide Reform, Volume 12, Number 4, Winter 1992. Northwest Coalition for Alternatives to Pesticides, Eugene, OR. If one weighs the statistical risk of Encephalitis exposure for an individual bitten by infected mosquitoes as compared to the risks from massive and repeated Malathion exposure, there’s no question which is more to be feared. Fewer than 10 people in the entire City are confirmed to have contracted the mosquito borne Encephalitis while eight million of us will be suffering from the various short and long-term effects of the spraying. The Mayor has repeatedly asked the media and the public not to panic or spread fear, yet it is the Giuliani administration itself that is acting irrationally by exaggerating the problem, which the Mayor tacitly has admitted at numerous press conferences. "This [the virus] is very, very small and very, very isolated. What we are doing we are doing out of an excess of caution. That's the reality of it," Giuliani said at a packed press conference. The mayor said spraying would continue in the coming weeks "no matter what happens — if we get a lot more suspected cases or very few or none — because we've been told that even when it [the virus] goes into remission, even if you get very few additional cases, this can come back two or three or four weeks from now." He reiterated that the pesticide being used, malathion, is not dangerous to humans or their pets as it is being applied. -Daily News 9/11/99 “City health officials estimate, based on experience elsewhere, that even in areas where the disease has been found, only 1 in every 1,000 mosquitoes carries the virus, and even if a person is bitten by an infected mosquito, the odds of becoming ill are only 1 in 300”. 9/11/99 NY Times Editorial, “When Mosquitoes Bear Disease” “Dr. Neal L. Cohen [NYC Health Commissioner] said. "A good part of what we are doing now is assuring the public that the threat and risks [from encephalitis] are very minimal given what we know about exposure." ...Elizabeth Kaplan, who lives in Park Slope, Brooklyn, echoed the fear. "I give my children only organic fruits and vegetables and now they're spraying everywhere," said Ms. Kaplan, who is seven months pregnant and has twin 2-year-olds. "I don't trust that they know what they're doing. I think the Mayor is worried that it will look like he's being lax if they don't spray everywhere. It seems very political." -NY Times 9/11/99-Battling Outbreak, Giuliani Faces Tough Balancing Act Massive spraying of Malathion will also result in Malathion resistant mosquitoes being an even greater threat next year. “...while malathion will probably kill most of New York's mosquitoes, there is no doubt that at least some will survive the chemical onslaught. Those mosquitoes with a gene or genes imparting some resistance to malathion could survive and reproduce at a higher rate than other mosquitoes, producing future generations that are increasingly insecticide-tolerant”. -NY Times Op-Ed September 11, 1999 An Inadequate Arsenal for the Insect Invasion In his usual fashion, the Mayor has ridiculed those who have expressed public safety concerns about the spraying. Yet, in Westchester and other wealthy suburban counties where open fields and swimming pools provide mosquitoes with countless available breeding sites, no spraying is taking place. Perhaps their elected officials have greater respect for the safety of their constituents. From a Malathion manufacturer: United Agri Products/Sanex/lPCO Malathion, Cythion (malathion) DANGER POISON Precautions - First Aid: Protect yourself by reducing skin and eye exposure. Wear coveralls, brimmed hard hat, goggles, respirator, unlined nitrile or neoprene gloves, and neoprene overboots or rubber boots. In addition wear a waterproof apron when handling the pesticide concentrate. Follow directions for cleaning of clothes and equipment before reuse. If in eyes or skin use standard first aid measures. If swallowed seek medical attention. Symptoms of poisoning: Headache, weakness, sweating, giddiness, blurred vision, nausea, abdominal cramps, diarrhea, and discomfort in chest”. “``Malathion is a poison,'' said Jorge Mancillas, a neurobiologist from California. ``The only reason malathion was developed was to inflict damage on living organisms.'' The panelists discussed how the spraying of malathion might overwhelm a population already burdened with chemicals.``We have no control over the effects when combined with other substances,'' Mancillas said. Another panelist, Dr. Sherry Rogers of Maryland, said once the body's capacity to rid itself of chemicals is reached, the body will store chemicals in body fat, eventually causing cancer”. -”Malathion foes challenge state's decision to spray” -8/4/97 Brandenton, Fla Herald For an extensive web based research page on the documented harmful effects of Malathion see http://www.chem-tox.com/malathion/research/index.htm The City Council must immediately act to stop the spraying and if necessary, remove Giuliani from office. Robert Lederman, President of A.R.T.I.S.T. (Artists’ Response To Illegal State Tactics) ARTISTpres@aol.com (718) 369-2111 http://www.openair.org/alerts/artist/nyc.html PLEASE FORWARD THIS TO EVERY INDIVIDUAL AND MEDIA SOURCE YOU KNOW IN NY MALATHION FACT SHEET [note: Malathion is the pesticide presently being sprayed on NYC] Excerpted from: Malathion Fact Sheet. Loretta Brenner. Journal of Pesticide Reform, Volume 12, Number 4, Winter 1992. Northwest Coalition for Alternatives to Pesticides, Eugene, OR Contributing to its popularity is malathion's relatively low acute mammalian toxicity. But like DDT and other pesticides that have been found to cause irreparable damage to human and environmental health, malathion may pose a greater risk than the product label would lead one to believe. Shown to be mutagenic, a possible carcinogen, implicated in vision loss, causing myriad negative health effects in human and animal studies, damaging to nontarget organisms, and containing highly toxic impurities, malathion has a legacy of serious problems. . Investigation showed that malathion was still evaporating from a wall where a pesticide spill had occurred five years earlier.(6) In California, where physicians make mandatory reports of pesticide-related illnesses, malathion was the third most frequently reported pesticide. Malathion caused five times more occupational illnesses, per pound sold, than did the average pesticide.(1) (These data are based on reports collected between 1981 and 1985.) Exposure due to drift and overspray can also be problematic, as is well illustrated by several examples. A homeowner adjacent to a school in Arizona sprayed his garden with malathion. The spray drifted into the school ventilation system and caused nearly 300 elementary school children to be hospitalized with headaches, nausea, and breathing difficulties.(7) During the 1990 medfly eradication spray program in California, two baseball diamonds were sprayed while children's games were in progress. Most of those present reported sumptoms, including headaches, sore throats, irritated eyes, hives, rashes, and nausea.(8) *MODE OF ACTION* Malathion is an organophosphate insecticide, one of a class of pesticides that are highly toxic to vertebrates and are chemically related to nerve gases used during World War II.(10) Like all organophosphate pesticides, malathion kills insects and other animals, including humans, through its effect on the nervous system. It inhibits an enzyme, acetylcholinesterase (AChE), that breaks down acetylcholine, a chemical essential in transmitting nerve impulses across junctions between nerves. Without functioning AChE, acetylcholine accumulates, producing rapid twitching of voluntary muscles, incoordination, convulsions, paralysis, and ultimately death.(11) Effects of AChE inhibition on nerve cells in the brain appear to be particularly important.(12) Malathion can also inhibit liver enzymes that affect biological membrane function.(13) The toxicity of malathion is compounded by its metabolites and contaminants. Malaoxon, a metabolite produced by the oxidation of malathion in mammals, insects, plants, and in sunlight, is the primary source of malathion's toxicity and is 40 times more acutely toxic than malathion.(14,15) Over 11 chemical contaminants and analogues created in the production process have been found in technical malathion.(16,17) These chemicals can act synergistically with malathion to potentiate (increase) its toxicity. Some of these compounds inhibit not only AChE,(18) but other enzymatic systems in the liver that would typically detoxify the contaminants.(15) Malathion and malaoxon are more toxic to immature than to adult rats, due to a slower rate of inactivation of the insecticide in the livers of immature animals.(14) Acute ToxicitySymptoms of acute organophosphate poisoning in humans include headaches, nausea, dizziness, salivation, tearing, urination, diarrhea, convulsions, muscle weakness, incoordination, abdominal cramps, blurred vision and pupil constriction, slowed heart beat, respiratory depression, paralysis, and coma.(19) Other acute effects of malathion exposure include skeletal muscle damage (after inhalation)(20) and abnormal eye movement.(21) Inhalation of malathion may be particularly hazardous. In animal studies (rabbit and quail), inhalation of malathion caused inhibition of AChE equivalent to that caused by an oral dose 15 to 20 times larger.(22) The acute oral LD50 of malathion (the dose that kills 50 percent of a population of test animals) varies between 1522 to 1945 milligrams per kilogram of body weight (mg/kg) in rats.(1) If humans are as sensitive, less than 5 ounces would be fatal to a 70 kilogram human. Effects on skin and eyes: Repeated exposure to malathion has caused allergic responses in humans, guinea pigs, and mice.(23,24) A single exposure to the skin of a 10 percent malathion solution induced contact sensitization in almost half of human volunteer subjects, and once sensitized, very weak dilutions of malathion (1 ppm) would trigger skin reactions.(23) Technical malathion is mildly irritating to the eyes,(1) can cause temporary visual disturbances,(25) and questions remain regarding its ability to produce external eye irritation.(25) *SUBCHRONIC AND CHRONIC TOXICITY* Physicians have described longer term effects of malathion exposure in humans. For example, asphyxia of a pesticide applicator under anesthesia during an operation was associated with his exposure to malathion.(26) An older man suffered acute kidney failure after malathion exposure.(27) In laboratory animals, malathion exposure has caused stomach ulcers, testicular atrophy, chronic kidney disease,(28) increased liver and kidney weights, adverse gastrointestinal tract affects,(29) and changes in the adrenal glands, liver, and blood sugar levels.(30,31) A nationwide study of flour mill employees found a significant excess risk of developing non-Hodgkin's lymphoma among employees of flour mills.(34) The risk rose with increased duration of work. Malathion is commonly used in flour mills for insect control.The National Cancer Institute (NCI) has studied the carcinogenicity of malathion and malaoxon in rats and mice. An independent review of this study found benign and malignant tumors of the endocrine glands, brain, liver, lung, and blood.(28) Liver neoplasms were found in mice.(28) An EPA toxicologist also found evidence of thyroid tumors in rats and liver tumors in mice.(35) Dr. Brian Dementi, another toxicologist with EPA, concurred and "found that the NCI study indicates a positive oncogenic response." *MUTAGENICITY* Malathion is mutagenic (causing genetic damage) in human, animal, and bacteria cells. Frequencies of chromosomal aberrations were significantly higher in cotton field workers exposed to malathion and other pesticides.(38,39) (The design of the study did not permit conclusions about a specific chemical.) Increased chromosome breaks and aberrations occurred following acute malathion human poisonings(40) and in human blood cells exposed to malathion.(41,42) Malathion caused sister-chromatid exchanges (exchanges of genetic material within a pair of chromosomes) in human blood cells(41-44) and fetal cells.(45) Malathion has also caused mutations in laboratory animals, including mice and hamsters,(46-49) and induced DNA breakage in the bacteria Escherichia coli.(50) In some cases malathion induced genetic damage at doses far below acutely toxic levels (45,51) and effects can be cumulative.(45) Birth DefectsIn humans, maternal exposure to malathion during early pregnancy possibly caused an almost total absence of skeletal muscle in a developing fetus.(52) The mother had repeatedly used a hair lotion containing malathion for treatment of lice. In the San Francisco Bay area, a two-year study examined the relationship between aerial sprays of malathion for medfly and the occurrence of congenital anomalies and low birth weights. The researchers found no definitive associations, but they also admit to limitations in the data and analysis. However, they did find positive associations between malathion exposure in individual years and increases in ear anomalies, bowing of leg bones, clubfoot, and other deformities.(53) Malathion has also been associated with birth defects in domestic and laboratory animals. In rabbits, malathion crosses the placenta and acts on the central nervous system.(54) Injection of malathion into the yolk sac of chicken eggs caused reduced growth and weakening of a leg bone,(55) increased production of insulin,(56) reduced chick weights, reduced hatch, short legs, bleached down, nerve damage two to six weeks after hatching,(57) sparse plumage, limb shortening, growth reduction, and beak defects.(58) Reproductive Effects Juvenile male rats exposed to daily doses of malathion had decreased numbers of sperm-forming cells.(59,60) In two rat teratology studies, maternal exposure to malathion reduced pup weights, increased the incidence of hemorrhagic spots on the backs of pups, and decreased weight gain of the mothers.(25) Doses of 50 and 100 mg/kg/day of malathion caused pregnant rabbits to have reduced maternal weight gain and greater increases of fetal resorptions (dead fetuses absorbed into the mother, not aborted); statistically significant increases in maternal deaths occurred at all doses.(25) A two generation study of male and female rats exposed to malathion yielded offspring that weighed less than the controls, and had increased susceptibility to ring-tail disease.(61) In sheep, malathion exposure of pregnant ewes resulted in an increase in aborted fetuses, still births, low birth weight babies. Longer duration and earlier initiation of malathion exposure resulted in more severe problems.(62) *EFFECTS ON VISION* Between 1957 and 1971 Japanese school children experienced a tremendous increase in cases of myopia (nearsightedness), that correlated with the increased use of organophosphate insecticides, including malathion.(63) In 1969, 98 percent of the children examined from Saku, an agricultural area where malathion was regularly applied, had reduced visual keenness. Other examples of what is now called 'Saku disease' in both children and adults were reported throughout Japan where organophosphate pesticides were applied. In California, a lawsuit is pending on behalf of a 15 year old boy who was declared legally blind after being outside while helicopters were spraying malathion. An ophthalmologist and a pesticide expert both agree that the boy may have Saku disease.(64) *DIETARY EFFECTS* Repeated exposures to malathion produce toxic effects in the liver regardless of an animal's nutritional status, but malnourished rats, especially those on low protein diets, are more susceptible to the negative effects of malathion.(13,65-69) Malathion was two to three times more acutely toxic to rats on a low protein diet.(70) This is due, at least in part, to the malnourished liver's decreased ability to detoxify malathion. According to the researchers, '...people sustaining on nutritionally inadequate diets may be more prone to the toxic effects of these pesticides as compared to those having nutritional adequacy,'(69) and they advise assessing the nutritional status of a community prior to exposure.(69) Behavioral EffectsMalathion blocked the ability of rats to learn to climb a pole when a buzzer sounded.(71) Learning to avoid a cage that gave rats electrical shocks, and the ability to remember this behavior, was also impaired by malathion.(72,73) In one study, this impairment occurred within one hour after exposure without significant inhibition of AChE activity.(73) *IMMUNE SYSTEM EFFECTS* Eradication programs for pests such as mosquitoes and fruit flies expose thousands of people to malathion applied in aerial applications. These type of pesticide applications often provoke complaints of allergic reactions and flu-like symptoms.(8,25,74) In laboratory animals, oral doses of purified malathion disrupted immune system function in mice at levels far below the dose required to cause cholinesterase inhibition.(75) This work suggests that malathion can cause sensitization and allergic reactions in humans and animals. present in technical malathion can further disrupt immune system function.(76-78) These immune system effects may have serious human health implications. Stimulation of immune responses may increase allergic reactions and also cause tissue damage.(77,78) Immunosuppression may enhance susceptibility of mammalian systems to bacterial, viral, or parasitic infection or possible increased tumor formation.(77) Changes in immune system functions in animals exposed to impurities in malathion may also trigger lung damage.(79) Both malathion and the impurities in malathion can directly affect one immune system function that creates risks for individuals with liver damage.(80) Robert Lederman, President of A.R.T.I.S.T. (Artists’ Response To Illegal State Tactics) ARTISTpres@aol.com (718) 369-2111 http://www.openair.org/alerts/artist/nyc.html PLEASE FORWARD THIS TO EVERY INDIVIDUAL AND MEDIA SOURCE YOU KNOW

Malathion spraying will continue NY Times, Daily News

Daily News 9/15/99 New Spraying Despite Gains By MICHAEL FINNEGAN Daily News Staff Writer <Picture>he massive spraying of pesticides across the five boroughs killed 90% of the city's mosquitoes, Mayor Giuliani said yesterday. But get ready for more showers of insecticide. Helicopters and trucks will resume spraying this weekend as the city continues to combat the deadly mosquito-borne St. Louis encephalitis virus. "The fear is that after a couple weeks it could come back if you don't spray again," Giuliani said. The virus has infected at least 11 New Yorkers, including three who died. The youngest victim, a 15-year-old Bronx boy, and two others remained hospitalized yesterday, but were "doing well," Giuliani said. No new infections were reported yesterday, but 74 possible cases were under investigation. The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has tested about 2,800 mosquitoes trapped in New York City, but none was carrying the virus, officials said. Some New Yorkers have been less edgy about the lethal virus than about the thousands of gallons of bug-killing chemicals. In Manhattan's Riverside Park and parts of Staten Island, choppers sprayed the pesticides malathion or Sumithrin at dusk on Monday with no warning. "They're treating us like animals!" said Virginia Adamo of Pleasant Plains, Staten Island, whose home was sprayed by a chopper a day behind schedule. "My neighbor was barbecuing! "It's disgusting. It was like major stink spray. This is not a healthy thing. I don't care what people say." Robert Hoffman, director of the city's Poison Control Center, said it was "probably safe to be directly exposed to the spray, but no one wants to be." "If you were exposed, we'd like you to wash yourself off," he said. With Frank Lombardi Original Publication Date: 09/15/1999 Rudy Rips Beep Over Spray Gripe By BOB LIFF and FRANK LOMBARDI Daily News Staff Writers <Picture>rooklyn Borough President Howard Golden was berated yesterday by Mayor Giuliani for complaining about City Hall's handling of its mosquito war. Golden had written to city officials last week to express "outrage" that he and other local officials had not been alerted that the city intended to begin spraying with malathion to combat encephalitis-carrying mosquitoes. Yesterday, Golden also blasted City Hall for not sending representatives of the Health Department and Office of Emergency Management to brief his borough cabinet — as he had requested in his letter. "To ensure that public concern does not escalate into public panic, it is essential that the actions of the Department of Health and your office be fully explained to all elected officials and community board staff," Golden wrote in a letter to Jerry Hauer, the emergency management chief. Asked about Golden's complaints, Giuliani fumed that Hauer and health officials were too busy working 24 hours a day on the crisis. "I've been to killings and murders in Brooklyn," the mayor said. "I've been to natural disasters in Brooklyn. And I ain't never seen the borough president there, at 2 o'clock in the morning or 3 o'clock." Giuliani added that he has had to sit by the bedside of dying police officers in Brooklyn and "didn't see the borough president get out of his bed and come to the hospital." Golden ignored the mayor's swipe. In a written statement, he argued that the City Charter requires the mayor to send aides to brief borough leaders about public health alerts. "The issue is a simple one — the rules are for everyone even the mayor," Golden stated. "The mayor just got off jury duty, but he seems to have learned nothing from that experience. Mr. Mayor, you aren't above the law." Staten Island Borough President Guy Molinari, who like Giuliani is a Republican, said Golden should have been calling city officials rather than waiting to be briefed by them. But a spokesman for Bronx Borough President Fernando Ferrer, also a Democrat, sided with Golden. "This is the city's health crisis, not his crisis," said Clint Roswell, Ferrer's spokesman. "Everybody has to contribute and be kept aware to best protect the public. That's what we're elected for. You can't do that if it's a one-man show." Original Publication Date: 09/15/1999 Mayor Giuliani's Malathion Marathon is his biggest violation of our civil rights yet. If this man is allowed to be appointed US Attorney General by George W. Bush in 2000 we will truly be living in a police state. For Giuliani, we are all nothing more than mosquitoes. Stop the Malathion Madness. Robert Lederman 255 13th Street Brooklyn, NY 11215 718 369-2111 Post 9/15/99 SPRAY KILLED 90% OF MOSQUITOES: RUDY By ROBERT HARDT, Jr. and DEBORAH ORIN --------------------------------------------------- --------------------- Mayor Giuliani claimed yesterday the city has destroyed about 90 percent of the local mosquito population in its war against the deadly St. Louis encephalitis virus. The first round of the spraying of the malathion and anvil pesticides was completed last night by helicopters over Staten Island. A second wave of citywide spraying using helicopters and trucks will begin this weekend. Scientists at the federal Centers for Disease Control (CDC) have examined 2,800 dead mosquitoes. None has tested positive for encephalitis, said Dennis White of the State Health Department. In the daily update of statistics, Giuliani said that eight new possible cases of the mosquito-transmitted disease have been reported - but seven of them are "suspect" and unlikely to be confirmed. The eighth case - in northern Brooklyn - has been classified as "probable," meaning that there is a 50 percent likelihood the case will be confirmed. Three New Yorkers have been killed by the virus, which swells the brain's lining. Eight others are recovering from its effects. Health investigators are still trying to determine whether 74 other local residents contracted the disease - which was first identified in the city on Sept. 2. Dr. Bob Hoffman of the city's Health Department tried to allay residents' fears of the pesticides. "The health issues here are of really minimal concern," Hoffman said of the spraying. "We're not getting reports of credible cases of illness. We're not going to get reports of credible cases of illness, and the chemicals that are down have already dissipated so if people were going to get ill, it would have happened already." Meanwhile, the White House sidestepped the question of whether it will cough up millions of dollars in federal funds to pay for the spraying. In a letter to Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), White House chief of staff John Podesta noted that CDC scientists have been working with the city to fight the epidemic. He didn't respond to Schumer's request for money, however. A White House spokeswoman noted that neither the city nor the state has formally requested federal aid. First Lady Hillary Clinton, who is likely running for Senate in New York, said in a statement earlier this week that "the federal government should take all necessary action to help." Robert Lederman, President of A.R.T.I.S.T. (Artists’ Response To Illegal State Tactics) ARTISTpres@aol.com (718) 369-2111 http://www.openair.org/alerts/artist/nyc.html In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, this material is distributed without profit or payment to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving this information for non-profit research and educational purposes only.