Letters to the editor

The product they are using is called "Foray 48B", which contains a bacterial spore known as "Btk" (Bacillus thuringiensis kurstaki).

This active ingredient will set to work destroying the digestive systems of all moths and butterflies in the feeding stage.

While Bt (a strain slightly different from Btk) occurs naturally to some degree in soil, Foray 48B contains other ingredients, including preservatives, that are a trade secret with the manufacturer.

No one, not even the government, is permitted to know what those ingredients are, yet Ministry of Forests officials claim nevertheless that they are safe and non-carcinogenic (cancer-causing).

In other words - don't worry, folks, product safety has been verified by a pesticide company, and the government has everything under control, even if they don't know what's in the product. 

Familiar reassurances, aren't they?  Puzzled, we start to dig beneath the surface.

We begin by googling Foray 48B.  Everything we find that is of government origin tells us, on the surface, that this product poses minimal risk to humans, animals, and the environment.

It kills only Lepidoptera (moths and butterflies).  Note: this includes the endangered Monarch butterfly, but that information seems to be beyond the scope of government literature.

Then we find other websites, including one called www.nosprayzone.org.  "During a neighbourhood spraying," states nosprayzone,"one would expect to inhale more Btk spores than would be consumed in a year's worth of food."

In higher concentrations, the product can cause eye irritation, allergic reactions such as skin rashes, and respiratory complications, especially in immune-compromised individuals.  It is interesting to read that, when sprayed, Foray 48B can spread for a radius of 20 km.

Our family has repeatedly voiced our concerns to the Ministry of Forests.  When asked if the government might attest to the safety of the product they intend to use, we were shocked to be told that "nothing can be considered totally safe".

Instead, they prefer to state that there is "minimal risk" from the use of Foray 48B.  If we are worried, we should shut our windows and doors during and after the spray period, and we could also hose off our lawn furniture.  What about our human rights, we ask, to breathe fresh air and not be exposed to unnecessary allergens?

In other words, concerned citizens have no voice in the matter.  We have no vote.  We may own the land upon which we live, but evidently the government owns the air.  One official in Victoria actually indicated that we can protest, but in the end the government will do as it pleases.

Citizens opposed to Ministry of Forests aerial spraying programs near their homes can call Tim Ebata (Victoria) at 250-387-8739 or Lorraine McLauchlan (Kamloops) at 250-319-4262. 

It doesn't hurt to defend your rights and let your voice be heard - even if the government doesn't want to hear it.

Sinikka and Jim Crosland and family