Official Admits Malathion Risk Not Tested on the Ill
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A Los Angeles County health official acknowledged Thursday that studies to determine the risk of respiratory problems from malathion spraying have not been conducted on people complaining of such symptoms.
Still, about 30% of the 1,300 people who have complained of illnesses after aerial spraying of the pesticide over the past year reported symptoms suggesting allergic or asthmatic reactions, said Dr. Paul Papanek, the county’s chief epidemiologist.
Papanek’s comments came during a hearing led by City Councilman Joel Wachs, a malathion opponent and chairman of the council’s Arts, Health and Humanities Committee, which is conducting its own investigation into the health effects of the pesticide spraying to eradicate the Mediterranean fruit fly.
In an interview, Papanek tempered his comments at the hearing by saying that “people tend to over-report symptoms after spraying of malathion.”
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