Massachusetts Turns To Pesticide To Address Mosquito-Borne Threat

The spraying is scheduled to take place at night, starting shortly after dusk and ending in the early morning. The state Department of Public Health said more details would be available on its web site. The aerial spraying zone includes Carver, Halifax, Kingston, Middleborough, Plymouth, Plympton, Rochester, and Wareham, and the truck-mounted spraying zone covers Douglas, Dudley, Oxford, Sutton, and Uxbridge.

“Due to the increased EEE risk and the first human case of the season, the state is taking decisive action to protect public health,” said Ashley Randle, commissioner of the state Department of Agricultural Resources, whose department partners with the state Department of Public Health on spraying operations. “Aerial spraying will target mosquitoes carrying the EEE virus. While these measures are crucial for reducing transmission risk, it’s vital for everyone to stay vigilant and follow personal protection guidelines to safeguard our community.”

The state uses Anvil 10+10, a pesticide registered with the federal Environmental Protection Agency, for mosquito spraying, applying it using an ultra-low volume aerosol that the state Department of Public Health said uses very small quantities of the chemical. The state’s public health agency said people with known sensitivities or respiratory conditions such as asthma should stay indoors during the spraying, though “it is unlikely a person would be exposed to amounts that would cause adverse health effects.”

It is considered safe to eat food grown in areas where Anvil 10+10 is sprayed, and animals do not necessarily need to be brought indoors, the state Department of Public Health said. But anyone who owns a small ornamental fishpond in the aerial spray area should cover it during the night of spraying, and beekeepers are encouraged to consider applying a cover to hive exits to prevent bees from direct contact during spraying.

The packaging of Anvil 10+10 has been associated with harmful per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (known as PFAS), a class of man-made chemicals that do not break down entirely in the environment, and exposure to their long-lasting presence has been linked to serious and negative health impacts. Per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances were found to leach from packaging into Anvil 10+10, creating thorny problems for some communities.

The state Department of Public Health is also cautioning residents to protect themselves against West Nile virus, which poses a threat especially to people older than 60, people who have received an organ donation, and those with conditions including cancer, diabetes, hypertension, and kidney disease. The state said eight communities — Boston in Suffolk County; and Abington, Brockton, East Bridgewater, Marion, Mattapoisett, Rochester, and Whitman in Plymouth County — are now considered to be at high risk for West Nile Virus.

“The risk from WNV is pretty widespread this year,” said State Epidemiologist Dr. Catherine Brown. “In addition to recommending that people use mosquito repellent with an EPA-registered active ingredient and clothing to reduce exposed skin, check your window screens to be sure they don’t have holes and empty any containers that accumulate water around your yard.”

The first West Nile Virus-positive mosquito samples were announced July 2; they came from Quincy.  A total of 262 West Nile Virus-positive mosquito samples have been detected so far this year in almost every county (all except Franklin, Hampshire, and Nantucket counties). The risk of human infection with West Nile Virus is moderate in Bristol County, Norfolk County, and the remainder of Plymouth County that hasn’t been moved into the high risk category, as well as in parts of Barnstable, Berkshire, Essex, Hampden, Middlesex, Plymouth, and Worcester counties, the state Department of Public Health said.