City, Schools Differ on Aerial Spraying

Most city leaders in Camarillo support aerial spraying of malathion to combat the area’s Medfly infestation, but school officials and day-care workers raised concerns about the pesticide’s harmful effects on children’s health.

Four of five City Council members and City Manager Bill Little said Monday the state should spray from the air or take other measures needed to protect the county’s $848-million-a-year agricultural industry from potential devastation of the fruit-eating pest.

“In my mind, it’s a very clear-cut issue,” said Mayor Ken Gose. “We must absolutely do everything we can to eradicate this pest from the county. We can’t let it take over.”

City leaders, except for Councilman Stan Daily, who could not be reached, unanimously supported aerial spraying if ordered by state agricultural officials.

“There’s far too much on the line to do anything else,” Councilman David M. Smith said. “If they (agricultural officials) call for it, we should support them.”

Yet children’s advocates want officials to take a more cautious approach in the interest of public health.

“I’m very concerned about the idea of spraying,” said Jan McDonald, school board president for the Pleasant Valley School District. “I want to know what kind of lingering effects the spraying might have on our kids should they become exposed to it. Right now, we have many more questions than answers.”

Kacy Perez, a teacher at St. Columba’s Pre-School and Daycare on East Las Posas Road, said she worried about the effect of aerial spraying on about four dozen children who attend the school.

“We’re located next door to a strawberry field and we get headaches every time they have a crop-duster go through,” Perez said. “When it comes to spraying, we stay indoors and keep the windows shut tight.”

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At The Children’s Place day care and preschool on Antonio Avenue, director Elaine Francisco said malathion spraying might force the center to shut down during spraying.

“It’s not out of the question that we might close for a day if need be,” Francisco said. “The safety and well-being of our kids comes first.”

At Child Development Resources of Ventura County, a nonprofit organization that administers the 16 federal Head Start centers across the county, officials said the possibility of spraying raises concerns for the safety of their young charges.

“We intend to keep our parents informed,” Administrative Coordinator Jeff Davis said. “Until they make a decision to spray, we will continue to monitor this situation very carefully.”

Rube Davis, a longtime Camarillo Leisure Village resident, said he was concerned about the effects of the pesticide on many of the older residents at the village, particularly those with respiratory problems or in frail health.

“I don’t think it is something that I would like to see happen,” Davis said. “I understand how important agriculture is to the county, but I think the health of people is important too.”

Although the scientific community and activists are at odds over the effects of malathion on humans, state health officials recommend that people stay indoors during aerial spraying, rinse down outdoor areas, wash skin and clothing that comes in contact with the pesticide and scrub home-grown produce.

An intensive spraying program in 1989 dropped thousands of gallons of malathion across four Southern California counties at a cost of more than $50 million. A year after that spraying effort was finished, trappers found 25 flies in Koreatown in Los Angeles.

By late 1992, hundreds of Medflies were found across many areas of the Southland--many of which had been previously sprayed with the pesticide.

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Camarillo City Manager Little said he worked in a city that underwent aerial spraying of malathion in 1989. At the time, he was city manager of Orange. He said the spraying seemingly had little effect on residents there.

Little said that when the brownish-pink pesticide--10% malathion solution and 90% corn syrup--was sprayed over his city, more complaints were generated from the corn syrup used to attract the flies than the malathion itself.

“I hope they don’t have to resort to aerial spraying. With any luck they will be able to handle it from the ground,” Little said.

“But, if they do spray from the air, it’s not so bad. The worse part is to leave your car outside by mistake when they’re flying. It’s like having caramel candy sprayed on it,” he said.