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Post-Hurricane Harvey Insecticide Aerial Spray

Post-Hurricane Harvey Insecticide Aerial Spray

Clean up efforts and support after Hurricane Harvey are underway including monetary donations, food, water, volunteering, etc. With the excessive amount of sitting water in the Houston area, there is a growing concern about the growth of pest insect populations, such as mosquitoes. Now, a post-Hurricane Harvey chemical insecticide aerial spray application is underway. The Pentagon announced that it has dispatched C-130H Sprayers from the Air Force Reserve’s 910th Airlift Wing in order to “assist with recovery efforts in eastern Texas,” by spraying the insecticide, Naled. The aircrafts are set to spray a chemical insecticide in order to help control pest insect populations. The pest populations pose a health risk to rescue workers and residents of Houston.

Post-Hurricane Harvey Insecticide Aerial Spray

The aircrafts will spray more than 6 million acres throughout the Houston, Texas area. The Air Force stated this effort is expected to surpass any previous aerial spraying applications. The Pentagon’s choice of insecticide could do more harm than good for Texas citizens. The Air Force reported the mosquito control aerial spray protocol involves spraying the “Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) approved and regulated material, Naled,” which the Air Force says will not be used in amounts large enough to “cause any concern for human health.” However, the insecticide Naled, is currently banned in the European Union due to the “unacceptable risk” it presents to human health and safety.

Post-Hurricane Harvey Pesticide Aerial Spray

Chemical Insecticides Come with Side Effects

Although Naled is an “EPA approved” insecticide, the EPA is re-evaluating the product and its safety. The EPA’s website states, “the EPA expects to issue new human health and ecological risk assessments for Naled before the end of 2017.” Scientists and many alarmed citizens have stated that Naled will surely be banned soon as the EPA has found it to harm 22 out of 28 endangered species exposed to it.

Naled insecticide has harmful side effects

Naled is a known neurotoxin in animals and humans, as it inhibits acetylcholinesterase, an enzyme essential to nerve function and communication, and has even been known to have caused paralysis. Scientific evidence, including a recent Harvard study, has pointed to Naled’s responsibility for the mass killing of North American bees. After only one day of Naled being sprayed in South Carolina last year, more than 2.5 million bees died.

Naled’s manufacturer, Sumimoto Chemical Corp., is also the manufacturer of SumiLarv.  SumiLarv is a product that is now believed to have been the cause of the spike in birth defects in Brazil that was originally blamed on the Zika virus. The most concerning consequence Naled poses for human health is the chemical’s ability to harm pregnant women and fetuses. Side effects include smaller brain sizes of newborns, having a child born with an autism-spectrum disorder and other symptoms like dizziness and nausea.

Alternative to Chemical Insecticide and Pesticide Products

With the extreme side effects that are possible by using harsh chemical products, Mirimichi Green urges landscapers, homeowners, and others that are seeking a pesticide or insecticide to use natural and safe products.

There will be a safe alternative for insecticide spray applications after natural disasters occur. Mirimichi Green will be launching a 100% natural and safe pesticide – Mirimichi Green Pest Control. A common stereotype of natural products is the natural products don’t work as well as chemical products. Mirimichi Green’s Pest Control has been tested by the World Health Organization, exhibiting an 80% kill rate efficacy report for pests and larvae upon contact. Products don’t have to be chemically based to be effective.

The soon-to-come pesticide works on mosquitoes, fleas, ants, roaches, no-see-ums, chiggers, spiders, mites, whitefly, aphids, plus many more insects. Mirimichi Green’s Pest Control is safe to spray around people, pets, and plants and has an immediate re-entry time after the spray has settled, making it ideal for any outdoor space.

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