Malathion Controversy
It looks like the so-called experts may be losing their battle against the Medfly. They seem surprised that the malathion spraying is failing to control this invader. Yet, if we examine the efforts to eradicate pests and diseases in America over the past 50 years, we find that almost all of them, in spite of the best efforts and lots of our money, have ended unsuccessfully. If a pest or disease finds the proper climatic, biotic, and physical conditions, it almost always survives, spreads, and even develops resistance in spite of human opposition.
Examples of failures to eradicate include White Pine blister rust, Dutch elm disease, the fire ant, spruce bud worm, boll weevil, needle miners, tent caterpillars, army worms, bark beetles, alfalfa weevil and gypsy moth. If the battle with the Medfly is won, it will not be because of human efforts, but rather that the Medfly is ill-adapted to California conditions. It amazes me that with such poor chances of success, agricultural officials are willing to risk possible long-term health effects by applying malathion to this large human population. (Interestingly, because this nerve-destroying chemical does not produce immediate negative health effects, officials declare it safe to use.)
Enlightened biologists no longer consider eradication programs which rose out of human arrogance, but rather consider the management of pest populations if and when they become established.
The assumption that the Medfly can become established in urban areas to a point where it can spread and infect other areas is weak. Medflies will not become epidemic in our urban areas simply because there are no large stands of contiguous fruit trees to facilitate an insect buildup. Even if the Medfly does become established here, it is a far-reaching assumption that the Medfly will then spread to the remaining fruit-growing areas of the low desert, San Diego back country, and the San Joaquin Valley because these are located in different climatic regions. Another wild assumption is the implication that the entire billion-dollar fruit industry is threatened. If the Medfly does become established there will be some losses, but the industry will continue to survive and thrive as it now is doing despite a host of pests and disease with new arrivals annually. Agricultural experts will quickly retort that they cannot take that chance, the Medfly may become a serious economic pest. But on the other hand, we humans cannot take chances with our health and lives because our nervous systems are irreparable and lives are irreplaceable.
RICHARD J. VOGL
Department of Biology
Cal State Los Angeles
