Mosquito spraying causes concerns among some DI residents
Daniel Island has a mosquito problem. The community has infringed on the marshy environment. Due to this placement of civilization, mosquito control is required, but there has been some questioning on the process of communication and transparency of the mosquito control. Several residents have expressed concern about the use of Naled, the chemical used in the insecticide during aerial sprays, and wish that there was a more comprehensive system to inform the public of sprayings.
Naled is approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which reports on its website that limited exposure to the chemical does not pose a health risk. Naled does pose some short-term risk to aquatic invertebrates, such as shrimp and water fleas, and terrestrial wildlife, according to the EPA. The website also states the chemical should be sprayed during bees’ inactive period in order to reduce bee exposure. The neurotoxin was banned in Europe in 2012 for being considered too risky for environmental and human health.
When sprayed during an aerial spray, the droplets released are microscopic— a total of less than an ounce used for an acre, said Jeff Cary, manager of Berkeley County Mosquito Abatement. The fine droplets stay airborne long enough for mosquitoes to fly into them and die on contact, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The chemical will break down rapidly after being exposed to sunlight and water. Very low concentrations of the remnants settle on the earth. The application amount for Naled is low enough that there are no health risks.
“If we didn’t provide mosquito control on Daniel Island, you couldn’t live there,” Cary continued. “Our only goal is to improve quality of life and reduce mosquito born disease.”
Ultimately, they hope to reduce potential mosquito contact with humans, added Cary. The sprays are scheduled with the intention of low human activity outside. When pilots see congregations of people, they will shut off the release. They are very aware and careful not to spray people, said Carey, but there can be no guarantee.
Stephanie Kiss, a Daniel Island resident, believes there is conflicting information about Naled health risks, and that the chemical is not a long-term solution. Although Naled will kill some mosquitoes, the ones that live and are exposed will build a resistance that is passed to the offspring, said Kiss, therefore, creating a bigger mosquito problem.
According to Kiss, the better solution would be to use a larvicide, an insecticide that targets mosquitos in the larva stage, and pair it with non-toxic ways for preventing mosquitos. These include using certain mosquito deterring plants and essential oils, and placing bat houses throughout the community to increase the bat population.
“We feel kind of powerless that something is spraying around our home, on our pets, and where we breathe, and we can’t avoid it,” Kiss said. “We should have a choice of what chemicals we are exposed to.”
In order to avoid exposure to Naled, Kiss checks the county website to see when the sprays are occurring, but she says the website is not user-friendly or transparent. Kiss believes that many people do not realize they are being exposed to the chemical because of lack of communication.
Sara Gail, also a Daniel Island resident, feels that many of the updates provided on the website, emails and in local news are vague and give a range of days, times and areas when spraying can happen. There should be a system where it lists the day, time and place of the sprayings, she added, so people who do not want to be exposed can avoid it.
The Berkeley County Mosquito Abatement team does not spray on a regular schedule, Cary said. First technicians do surveillance to check out the area before deciding if and where to spray.
“It is data driven,” Cary said. “If no area is high, if we don’t have a mosquito problem, we don’t spray.”
If areas are being sprayed by aircraft, the Mosquito Abatement office posts online or releases information to media 24 hours in advance. Due to the pilot’s safety, spraying cannot occur at night, so the spraying happens right before dawn or an hour before sunset. The Daniel Island Property Owners Association sends out emails to all Daniel Island residents to inform them of the spraying, Cary said.
The Daniel Island Property Owners Association posts Berkeley County spraying information when the Berkeley County Mosquito Abatement sends them information, added Barbara D. McLaughlin, manager of Community Services at the Daniel Island Property Owners Association, via email. The POA sends weekly emails asking for the schedule and the Mosquito Abatement gives at minimum a day’s notice to aerial sprays.
To check the spray schedule, or for additional information, visit https://www.berkeleycountysc.gov/drupal/mosquito.