Why is Santa Ana the only OC city getting sprayed starting on Monday?

UPDATE: It is time to take down the Orange County Vector Control District

UPDATE: How we stopped the Santa Ana Mosquito Spraying operation

Orange County Vector Control and the City of Santa Ana distributed a press release yesterday about spraying of an insecticide to kill mosquitoes that is taking place only in the City of Santa Ana, starting on Sep. 8 through Sep. 11, 2014.  Why was this news sent out so late in the week, on a Friday?  And why isn’t Anaheim getting sprayed when they have had 42 West Nile Virus cases while Santa Ana has had 31 such infections reported?  And Tustin and Garden Grove have had twice the West Nile Virus fatalities that Santa Ana has had – which is exactly one death.  Click here to see a map showing where the illnesses and deaths have occurred in Orange County.

Santa Ana does lead the County with regard to dead birds identified to have been infected with the West Nile Virus, with 65 such dead birds.  Anaheim has had 23 dead birds and there have been 20 in Huntington Beach, according to this map.

Why is the spraying of a poison in our city an issue?  Well check out what Vector Control says we should do when the spraying starts, at 3 am this Monday:

  • Stay indoors during the treatment and for 30 minutes afterwards
  • Close doors and windows and shut down non recirculating air conditioners during treatment and for 30 minutes after treatment
  • Cover outdoor fishponds, pet food, and water bowls prior to the application

The spraying will continue daily through Sep. 11 from 3 am to 5 am.

The product being sprayed is called Clarke Aquaanvil.  Click here to read more about it. The product’s Safety Data Sheet admits that:

  • The product is toxic to aquatic organisms, including fish and aquatic invertebrates. Runoff from treated areas or deposition of spray droplets into a body of water may be hazardous to fish and aquatic invertebrates.
  • This product is highly toxic to bees exposed to direct treatment on blooming crops or weeds.
  • The product causes moderate eye irritation. Avoid contact with eyes or clothing.

Opposition to spraying insecticides to stop the West Nile Virus rests on two very simple facts: 1) it does not work, and 2) it is dangerous to some people in the short term and adds to the overall pesticide load in the environment for the long term, according to an organization called Stop West Nile Virus Spraying Now. The second point is moot given that adulticiding is ineffective, but it is important because spraying continues as West Nile virus recedes into a state known as chronic endemicity, one in which very few people are infected. Moreover, indiscriminate spraying can increase resistance in non-target insects so that there might be no effective control available when an actual threat appears, and it harms beneficial insects, whose recovery cycle is often much longer.  The question is not whether to spray; rather, it is if we should use effective means of control instead of ineffective and damaging ones.

Why were the people of Santa Ana notified so late about this poison spraying?  And why is Santa Ana the only city being targeted by Vector Control?  Simple.  Our residents generally don’t read newspapers and are not involved in government affairs.  And our politicians are asleep at the wheel.

If you are unhappy about the spraying of a toxic mist in our city, with such short notice and no attempt to explore any alternatives to this, here is who you should contact:

Art Pedroza Editor
Our Editor, Art Pedroza, worked at the O.C. Register and the OC Weekly and studied journalism at CSUF and UCI. He has lived in Santa Ana for over 30 years and has served on several city and county commissions. When he is not writing or editing Pedroza specializes in risk control and occupational safety. He also teaches part time at Cerritos College and CSUF. Pedroza has an MBA from Keller University.
Art Pedroza

Our Editor, Art Pedroza, worked at the O.C. Register and the OC Weekly and studied journalism at CSUF and UCI. He has lived in Santa Ana for over 30 years and has served on several city and county commissions. When he is not writing or editing Pedroza specializes in risk control and occupational safety. He also teaches part time at Cerritos College and CSUF. Pedroza has an MBA from Keller University.

View Comments

  • Well of course the vector control wants to test the efficiency of this pesticides on Santa Ana first so it can assure other cities it's not an environmental harm.
    YEAH RIGHT!!
    I have seen the vector control spray against other threats in the past such as the fruit fly and nobody said anything against the spraying of our city. So, if you are concerned about Monday's spraying do SPEAK UP!
    CALL PULIDO!!!

    • Vector Control doesn't and has never sprayed for fruit flies. That's a state department that does that. You should actually knowwhat youre talking about before you respond. And if you read the safety data sheet you'll see that the people who recieve the most exposure, the actual people spraying, don't even have to wear any kind of mask. Read what a can of Raid says. Home pesticides are far more toxic. Aqua Anvil has been used for years in multiple places in thr County. Places like Irvine and Coto De Caza. This isn't an experiment on poor Santa Ana.

  • Just stop killing spiders and let them build their spider webs, they will take care of the mosquitoes. FACT!!!

  • Its probably not even for the freaking mosquitos. Its probably a poison gas that will get our people sick and lead to death in a slow process. Why does it have to be here in Santa Ana. Whycant it be done in Irvine, Costa Mesa or other cities on the sputh of orange county.

        • Well imagine how much money is being spent on this. The chemical supplier is making a fortune. And the County workers are going to pile up some overtime. Follow the money...

          • I get that a lot is about money, but why do you prefer that other cities get sprayed instead of Santa Ana. No city should be sprayed if you're saying that this is ineffective.

      • Anaheim should lead everyone in that so called virus, disneyland attracts people from all over the world, those people could have brought them viruses over through luggage and clothing as well

  • If you are going to wig out over chemicals that are allegedly way up in the sky shouldn't you be worried about chemicals being sprayed directly onto your property?

  • Just leave them alone and let them do thr job... Hope for the best otherwise have you're lawyers on speed dial.

  • I just recovered from the West Nile, was not a good feeling, but Santa Ana is the only city doing it because there the only ones who probanaly approved of doing it the first place.

  • I just emailed everyone on that list. Please, everybody needs to do the same. If we don't speak up then we'll just continue to be their guinea pigs. Speak up for your community!!

  • You should get your facts straight before posting articles like this. No city is being targeted. Go to Orange County Health Care Agency's website to see the numbers for yourself.

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