Malathion Spraying and Cancer Risk

It is apparent that Gov. Deukmejian and all Orange County supervisors (except Roger R. Stanton, who has voted against spraying) have all taken the position that the threat of the Medfly to the crops creates a state of emergency and that to protect the crops, malathion spraying is necessary and safe. They share one thing in common--none of them, nor their families, are being sprayed to test its safety. The EPA has not as yet determined that malathion spraying is safe for human beings or our water supply.

I took my grandchildren out of the Garden Grove spray area last Thursday night. I would invite the governor and the supervisors who say that it is safe, to bring their children, grandchildren, and pregnant family members to stay at my home during the repeated Garden Grove sprayings.

I am a physician who has studied the data, and I can state unequivocally that the safety of the spraying has not been established and that malathion may be very dangerous. There are also much safer alternatives to combat the Medfly, such as the release of sterile Medflies. That method would be more expensive but is not a threat to people or our water supply.

Our elected officials are putting our children at risk and they and their families have nothing at stake. That’s a travesty.

BERNARD TURBOW, MD

Garden Grove