From: ARTISTpres at aol.com Date: Sat, 11 Sep 1999 07:56:05 EDT Subject: Malathion Man: Giuliani poisons NY to look decisive
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 at 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 at aol.com (718) 369-2111 http://www.openair.org/alerts/artist/nyc.html
PLEASE FORWARD THIS TO EVERY INDIVIDUAL AND MEDIA SOURCE YOU KNOW