Promoting nontoxic solutions in lieu of pesticides to control mosquito populations in the interest of protecting the health and welfare of our families, pets and property.
Everyone should have the right to NOT be sprayed with pesticides especially considering the fact that ground spraying is the most costly, least effective and most toxic approach for mosquito control.
Moving from “how much can we tolerate” to “what actions can we take to prevent harm.”
In weighing the risks and benefits of mosquito control, we should also consider the disease itself and the risk to the human population. The media always paired the words “lethal” or “deadly” with “West Nile” or “encephalitis,” reinforcing in the public’s mind the danger from the disease. But it would be equally appropriate to characterize West Nile Virus infection as “in apparent,” “usually asymptomatic,” or “occasionally serious.” Seven deaths in a population of over 10 million people over a one month period is certainly tragic, but pales besides the number of deaths from many other diseases that are addressed less aggressively.
The Precautionary Principle
The precautionary principle is the concept that establishes it is better to avoid or mitigate an action or policy that has the plausible potential, based on scientific analysis, to result in major or irreversible negative consequences to the environment or public even if the consequences of that activity are not conclusively known, with the burden of proof that it is not harmful falling on those proposing the action. It is a major principle of international environmental law and is extended to other areas and jurisdictions as well.