Medfly Spraying

* Medfly project officials have congratulated themselves on a successful first spraying over Corona (Feb. 17). But this could equally be seen as a resounding failure to heed the pleas of the public for non-invasive approaches more in keeping with the notion that this is a democracy. The governor declares a state of emergency upon the finding of a single Medfly. That doesn’t constitute a genuine emergency. A 6.8 earthquake--that is an emergency. The helicopters may conduct their maneuvers with military precision, yet what a messy affair! I get tired of hearing them say malathion is proven safe. It is not. Numerous scientific studies from around the world, and our own anecdotal evidence, clearly show its toxicity, particularly to the nervous system. Some of those studies are available from the World Research Foundation in Sherman Oaks.

Let us not blindly trust the official scaremongering concerning the threat of the Medfly, nor their reassurances concerning the safety of aerial spraying with malathion.

DAVID SCHWAB

Altadena

* What’s wrong with this picture? The Times’ Feb. 16, front-page headline: “Broad U.S. Plan to Clean Up Air in L.A. Area Unveiled.” The article says, “Virtually every source of pollution is targeted: (from) cars . . . (to) pesticides.” The area includes Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties.

Page 3 headline: “Courts Reject Plea; Aerial Medfly Spraying Begins.” The article: “Aerial spraying of the Medfly-killing insecticide malathion began Tuesday night . . . over an 18-square-mile area of Corona and Norco (Riverside County). . . . From eight to 10 aerial applications are scheduled in the next four months.”

DORETTA ZEMP

Beverly Hills