by Bill Ashe
They’re ba-a-a-ck! It’s Massachusetts Mosquito Control (MMC), and they want to spray Harvard with the chemical pesticide sumithrin to kill mosquitoes. [See
Harvard Press “From the Boards—Devens seeks mosquito relief,” Aug. 28, and editor’s note below.]
I very recently received a phone call from a Boston Globe West reporter inquiring about my views on reopening Harvard to mosquito-control spraying. We permitted chemical spraying years ago, but terminated it after a 1989 Town Meeting vote, with more than 90 percent of voters saying “No!” My vote was “no” then, and it’s “no” today.
MMC and its advocates say the issue is public health. But that is not what the data show for Harvard. The diseases focused on are Eastern equine encephalitis (EEE) and West Nile virus (WNV). Statewide, EEE and WNV cases reported in the past decade have been minimal, with six deaths identified. No cases have been reported in Harvard, as I recall, and none in the towns surrounding Harvard. If there are any cases of EEE and WNV, they are in the state’s southeast and northeast coastal and wetland areas.
What is sumithrin, and what are we told of its positive and negative attributes? Obviously, it is tough on mosquitoes. It is, the Environmental Protection Agency says, a chemical pesticide “that does not pose unreasonable risks to human health when applied according to the label …” On the other hand, some knowledgeable sources say there is concern regarding adverse effects on people with asthma or Parkinson’s disease. Sumithrin, advocates say, is safe for mammals and birds, if applied in small amounts, but is considered dangerous to bees and fish.
Dangerous to just bees and fish? Bees are nature’s most successful and beneficial pollinators and are necessary for a plentiful and healthful food supply. Do we want to use sumithrin when bee colonies are reported to be collapsing at an alarming rate? Fish are another natural resource that is under stress. We are constantly advised to limit consumption of fish due to contamination from mercury and other chemicals.
Facts and common sense tell us that mosquitoes, EEE, and WNV pose a problem in the commonwealth, but it is not a serious problem in Harvard and surrounding areas. Much more serious is the use of sumithrin, which could pose a serious future health problem for us, our friends, our children, and our grandchildren. Do we know the long-term health effects of sumithrin or its cumulative impact with other chemical pollutants? No. Until we do, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health should target the sections of the state where EEE and WNV are serious problems, and not communities such as Harvard.
I read that one of our Board of Health members wants a fresh look at insect control. That’s OK. All town issues need a fresh look from time to time. We just need to do a complete job. What will an insect control program do—good and bad, short- and long-term? The Carlisle Board of Health considered a mosquito spray program last winter, but so many problems and questions surfaced, they did not take it to Town Meeting. That was good common sense. Harvard should follow the path of the intelligent people of Carlisle.
Bill Ashe worked for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for 37 years.
[Editor’s note: At the Aug. 20 Joint Boards of Selectmen (JBOS) meeting a Devens resident asked the JBOS to vote to spray mosquitoes at Devens. He said that Ayer, Harvard, and Shirley would have to agree in order to permit a spraying program, and noted that Shirley and Ayer both have spraying programs. Selectwoman Lucy Wallace explained that it takes a town meeting vote for Harvard to spray, and that Harvard selectmen would put a motion to spray on the next Annual Town Meeting warrant.]