Legislators’ Group Petitions Governor Against Malathion

A bipartisan coalition of 18 Southern California legislators who represent areas being sprayed with malathion urged Gov. George Deukmejian on Monday to halt spraying of the pesticide until there is “solid evidence” it is safe.

In the first organized legislative attempt to block the use of malathion, the lawmakers criticized what they called the governor’s “spray now, ask questions later” policy and questioned whether the chemical might cause a variety of maladies.

“It is imperative, for the health and safety of over 1.2 million Californians, that you call an immediate halt to aerial spraying of malathion bait spray until solid evidence is presented that the spraying poses no harm to residents in the sprayed areas,” the 18 Assembly members wrote in a letter to the governor.

At the urging of the Southern California lawmakers, Assembly Speaker Willie Brown (D-San Francisco) has called a rare meeting of the entire Assembly next Tuesday to take testimony from scientific experts on both sides of the malathion issue.

Meanwhile, in a press conference in Orange preceding the first meeting of a blue-ribbon committee that will study the malathion issue, the head of the state Department of Health Services said there is no direct evidence that suggests the pesticide spraying should be halted. Nevertheless, Kenneth W. Kizer told reporters that more scientific research is needed.

The newly formed Malathion Health Effects Advisory Committee, consisting of 23 doctors, academicians and public health workers from across the Southland, will meet several times a month and draft a final report on the potential health effects of malathion spraying. That process should take months, he said.

Kizer also stressed that many committee members, although recruited by the DHS, have voiced strong opposition to malathion spraying. “This by no means can be viewed as a rubber-stamp committee,” Kizer said. “We’re going to have a a very open and thorough discussion.”

Health officials formed the committee at the request of the State Department of Food and Agriculture because of the public outcry over the use of malathion.

Many legislators are also feeling intense pressure from constituents whose homes are being sprayed repeatedly with malathion in efforts to eradicate the Mediterranean fruit fly in Los Angeles, Orange and San Bernardino counties. Some legislators, such as Assemblyman Richard Katz (D-Sylmar), have been spurred into action after their own homes were sprayed.

“They have so botched handling this. I don’t know if it’s possible to calm people down,” Katz said. “I think you have to stop the spraying in order to restore public confidence in government.”

Assemblywoman Sally Tanner (D-Baldwin Park), chairwoman of the Assembly Environmental Safety Committee, summed it up this way: “I’m not sure that it’s dangerous. I’m not sure that it’s safe. But I am sure that my constituents are extremely frightened. And anxiety can certainly make people sick, if not malathion.”

In their letter to the governor, the 13 Democrats and five Republicans cited health experts who say malathion may cause damage to the nervous system, headaches, nausea and flu-like symptoms. In addition, the letter said, some experts suspect the pesticide of causing liver cancer in rats.

Deukmejian, backed by state health officials, insists that malathion poses no health threat. In a strong defense of the aerial spraying, the governor said in Pasadena last week that “hundreds and hundreds” of studies have shown malathion to be safe.

“Malathion has been around for four decades,” the Republican governor said. “If there was any major adverse health effect from the use of malathion, it would have been known long before now.”

On Monday, Deukmejian press secretary Bob Gore said the governor was in Washington and his office would have no response to the legislators’ letter.

The Deukmejian Administration’s handling of the Medfly crisis, however, has come under criticism even from Republican legislators who normally side with the governor.

Assemblywoman Doris Allen (R-Cypress), for example, complained that state officials have not properly notified the public of the spraying or presented convincing evidence that malathion is safe.

“They did not let me know in my district what was going to be coming down,” Allen said. “My home was sprayed too. I guess it’s like anything in government--unless your ox is gored, you don’t recognize the reality. The people in my district are really to the point of rebellion. They’re very frightened.”

Times staff writer James Gomez contributed to this story from Orange County.