What we now know about the chemical sprayed in Santa Ana by the O.C. Vector Control District this week

The Orange County Vector Control District is now saying that they did not conduct any aerial spraying of any chemicals in Santa Ana and surrounding cities yesterday. Well we never said they did! We pointed to their own Facebook page and website where they admitted to backpack spraying.

The OC Vector Control District is also claiming that the chemicals they used are water-based and odorless.

The OC Vector Control District admits that they sprayed a chemical called DeltaGard in Santa Ana, at Birch Park, on Wednesday, August 15 and Thursday, August 16, 2018 approximately between 4:30 a.m. to 5:30 a.m.

Let’s take a look at what the Safety Data Sheet for DeltaGard, which includes the active ingredient deltamethrin, has to say about this chemical:

• May cause an allergic skin reaction.
• Avoid breathing mist and spray.
• IF ON SKIN: Wash with plenty of water/ soap.
• If skin irritation or rash occurs: Get medical advice/ attention.
• There is no specific antidote.
• Use personal protective equipment. If the product is accidentally spilled, do not allow to enter soil, waterways or waste water canal.
• Use only in area provided with appropriate exhaust ventilation. Ensure adequate ventilation.
• Wash hands thoroughly with soap and water after handling and before eating, drinking, chewing gum, using tobacco, using the toilet or applying cosmetics.
• Wear long-sleeved shirt and long pants and shoes plus socks.
• Causes eye irritation.
• Harmful if swallowed.
• Deltamethrin caused neurobehavioral effects and/or neuropathological changes in animal studies. The toxic effects of Deltamethrin are related to transient hyperactivity typical for pyrethroid neurotoxicity.
• The developmental effects seen with Deltamethrin are related to maternal toxicity.
• Do not allow to get into surface water, drains and ground water.
• Prolonged or frequently repeated skin contact may cause allergic reactions in some individuals.

According to the National Pesticide Information Center these are the signs and symptoms of a brief exposure to deltamethrin:

• When deltamethrin gets on the skin, it can cause skin sensations like tingling, itching, burning, or numbness at that spot. These sensations usually go away within 48 hours.
• Deltamethrin can be mildly irritating if it gets in the eye. If enough deltamethrin is breathed in, it can cause headaches and dizziness.
• Although not common, individuals who have ingested large amounts of deltamethrin have experienced nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, and muscle twitches.
• While children may be especially sensitive to pesticides compared to adults, it is currently unknown whether children have increased sensitivity specifically to deltamethrin. However, studies in rats showed that young rats were more sensitive than older rats when they were both fed deltamethrin.
• Deltamethrin can affect dogs and cats if they eat, breathe, or touch it. It can cause vomiting, drooling, in-coordination, and muscle tremors if they eat enough of it. If deltamethrin gets on their skin, it can sometimes cause skin sensations that result in biting, scratching, or licking of the exposed area.
• Deltamethrin is moderately to highly toxic to fish under laboratory conditions.

Could something else have caused the big stink in Santa Ana yesterday? The Save Newport Beach Facebook page suggested that the smell was caused when a boat, at about 9 p.m. last night spilled what appeared to be a large amount of citronella oil and other chemicals near the Huntington Beach and Newport Beach Coastline. But that timeline does not work as the odor in Santa Ana was already prevalent in the early afternoon.

The South Coast AQMD sent inspectors to find out what happened, according to the LA Times, but by they time they got here the odor was gone.

Others blamed a sewage spill in Newport Beach, but that happened on Tuesday, according to the LA Times.

The odor affected  cities including Orange, Anaheim Hills, Costa Mesa, Newport Beach and Huntington Beach, according to ABC News.

I am still pretty upset that the O.C. Vector Control District did not issue a press release before they sprayed our city. I had an email discussion today with a reporter from the O.C. Register. She said that they did notify her about the spraying in advance but apparently her paper chose not to report this to the public.

Some of our readers said they got emails about the spraying. You can in fact sign up for email alerts from the OC Vector Control District here so they will notify you in the future when they are planning to spray more chemicals in our city.

I spoke with Santa Ana Mayor Miguel Pulido early this morning. He had no advance warning about the spraying.

I also heard from another elected official who said that OC Vector Control District Board Member Cecilia Aguinaga, who represents Santa Ana, was at the Birch Park spraying and that she opposed the spraying. Well that is news to me! I have never heard her complain about the spraying and she did not do anything to alert the public in advance about the spraying.

As we reported yesterday there really was no reason to do this spraying. The State of California admits that ONLY ONE DEAD BIRD has been found to be infected by the West Nile Virus in Orange County this year!

So why spray? As we reported yesterday the O.C. Vector Control District survives on hundreds of thousands of dollars from our property taxes. They have to create a crisis every year to justify their inflated salaries (per Transparent California):

• Rick Howard, the OC Vector Control District’s District Manager makes $143,166.00 a year in total pay and benefits.
• Lawrence Shaw, the District’s Director of Operations, makes $170,400.84 a year in total pay and benefits.
• Robert Cummings, the District’s Director of Scientific Technical Services, makes $162,276.10 a year in total pay and benefits.
• Tawnia Pett, the District’s Executive Assistant/Clerk of the Board, makes $123,495.59 a year in total pay and benefits.
• Lora Young, the District’s Director of Communications, makes $95,304.00 a year in total pay and benefits.

And that is not all. Click here and you will see that there are about two dozen O.C. Vector Control District employees who make over six figures in total pay and benefits! Please show me the pest extermination contractor who makes that kind of money?

And how is it that the O.C. Vector Control District, with a way overpaid Director of Communications, can’t manage to properly notify the public when they dump chemicals on Santa Ana?

I have BTW requested, pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act, records from the O.C. Vector Control District about this latest round of chemical spraying in Santa Ana. Let’s see if they actually provide the requested documents…