WNV-L Archive Back to the West Nile Virus listserv archive. Pesticide wrong reply to West Nile threat Ecologists say spraying is risky to humans.
More studies are needed, they add.
By Rebecca James Onondaga County and other places trying to fight the West Nile virus by spraying pesticides should take another look at that strategy if they need to resume the battle next summer, say ecologists with the Cornell University Center for the Environment. Frost will soon put an end to mosquito worries for the year. Scientists and public officials should take the colder months to more closely examine whether Anvil, the pesticide used, poses risks to humans or other creatures and whether it really puts a dent in the mosquito population, said Lois Levitan, who heads Cornell's Environmental Risk Analysis Program. There's a possible risk to human health and an ecological impact. Another reason that is very, very significant is that insects develop resistance to pesticides.