Miami Beach Residents Show Outrage Over Use of Cancerous Neurotoxin to Combat Zika

By Joseph Jankowski

Some 200 people packed a Miami Beach City Commission meeting on Wednesday to demand an end to aerial spraying of the naled insecticide that has been shown to be neurologically toxic in lab studies.

Residents cursed elected officials and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for confusing the public about aerial spraying over South Beach and refusing to detail all locations where adult mosquitoes have been isolated with the virus.

“At first they said they couldn’t do aerial spraying, but then they said yes,” Sadie Kaplan, a fitness trainer who fled her home twice to avoid the spraying, told AP. “Pick a side. Don’t flip-flop.” Some residents argued that the mild illness that Zika causes in most people doesn’t warrant the use of a dangerous organophosphate insecticide like naled. “I don’t want to be sprayed with pesticides for what I believe is a hoax,” said Kiro Ace, a graphic designer who was shirtless but wore a gas mask as he joined protesters chanting, “If you’re going to spray, we want a say!”

The Naled chemical has been sprayed by plane to combat the Zika carrying mosquitoes in the Wynwood, Florida area for over a month now.

The spraying has on occasion turned an otherwise vibrant town, full of weekend tourists, into a ghost town.

According to Cornell.edu, the naled insecticide causes severe irritation:

Vapors or fumes of naled are corrosive to the mucous membranes lining the mouth, throat and lungs, and inhalation may cause severe irritation. A sensation of tightness in the chest and coughing are commonly experienced after inhalation. As with all organophosphates, naled is readily absorbed through the skin. Skin which has come in contact with this material should be washed immediately with soap and water and all contaminated clothing should be removed.

The chemical has also been shown to produce a cancerous byproduct that can cause higher incidences of brain cancer and birth defects in children.

From the No Spray Coalition:

Naled’s breakdown product DICHLORVOS (another organophosphate insecticide) interferes with prenatal brain development. In laboratory animals, exposure for just 3 days during pregnancy when the brain is growing quickly reduced brain size 15 percent.

DICHLORVOS also causes cancer, according to the International Agency for Research on Carcinogens. In laboratory tests, it caused leukemia and pancreatic cancer. Two independent studies have shown that children exposed to household “no-pest” strips containing dichlorvos have a higher incidence of brain cancer than unexposed children.

Aerial applications of naled can drift up to one-half mile. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, naled is moderately to highly toxic to birds and fish. It also reduced egg production and hatching success in tests with birds and reduced growth in tests with juvenile fish. convulsions, paralysis, and death.

Naled is also detrimental to the environment, as shown by the 2.5 million honeybees that died last month in South Carolina after some beekeepers weren’t properly notified about aerial spraying.

Despite widespread infections on the island, Puerto Rico’s governor has refused to allow the CDC to use naled to fight Zika there amid outrage over its potential effects on people and wildlife.

Joseph Jankowski is a contributor for Planet Free Will.com. His works have been published by recognizable alternative news sites like GlobalResearch.ca, ActivistPost.com, Mintpressnews.com and ZeroHedge.com. 

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