Kizer Seeks to Allay Malathion Fears

State Health Director Kenneth W. Kizer, attempting to quiet the fears of Southern California residents in neighborhoods sprayed with malathion, said Tuesday that the risk of a helicopter crash is greater than any hazard posed by the pesticide.

Kizer said studies have shown repeatedly that the chemical now being sprayed from the air to halt a Mediterranean fruit fly infestation does not pose a health hazard for humans.

“It is not viewed as having significant untoward health effects at the dose that is being used currently,” Kizer said. “The greatest acute health hazard that might be related to the spraying program is the risk of a helicopter crash that might occur--and not the chemical that is being used.”

In a separate effort to allay public concerns, Food and Agriculture Director Henry Voss agreed to release the names of 16 heretofore secret substances that make up 5% of the malathion brand used by the state. Voss described the 16 substances, including diethyl fumarate, ethyl nitrite and diethyl methylthiosuccinate, as harmless impurities found in the pesticide.

In the past, the substances had not been disclosed to the public because the entire composition of malathion is considered a protected trade secret. Malathion and the other 16 substances found in it are mixed in small doses into a corn syrup bait to attract the insects.

The comments from Voss and Kizer came at an unusual Capitol forum called to answer questions from legislators whose constituents have grown increasingly upset over the aerial spraying program.

Democratic Assemblyman Richard Katz, whose home in Sylmar was among those sprayed Monday night, protested that residents are not given adequate notice of the spraying schedule and that a “hot line” designed to keep residents informed is usually busy.

And Assemblyman Curt Pringle (R-Garden Grove) questioned whether aerial spraying was necessary in his Orange County district and whether the state could instead use sterile fruit flies, a method that has been employed in parts of Los Angeles.

Isi Siddiqui, assistant director of the Department of Food and Agriculture, said that the department would prefer using sterile fruit flies in all areas after the first bombardment with malathion.

But the current infestation in Southern California has become so large that the state cannot produce enough of the sterile insects for the entire area.

At the moment, he said, a laboratory in Hawaii is producing 100 million sterile fruit flies each week that are being released in parts of Los Angeles and at a separate infestation in Santa Cruz County. Shipments of as many as 40 million more insects have arrived from Mexico. But until another laboratory is completed in Hawaii this spring there will not be enough of the fruit flies to tackle all of the infested regions, he said.

Despite the concern of Southland residents, state officials insist that malathion--including the 16 chemicals that are its “inert ingredients”--poses no threat to the public.

Kizer told legislators that the pesticide is one of the oldest and most commonly used and that numerous studies have shown it to be safe.

Criticizing some scientists who have suggested that malathion poses a health risk, Kizer said that “public anxiety . . . is being fueled by some inaccurate reports that sometimes border on being inflammatory in the public media.

“It is not viewed as a carcinogen or a teratogen--something that causes birth defects,” he said. “The issue has been looked at and relooked at and relooked at. My staff feel very comfortable with regard to the safety of the product.”