Before America Wanted to Eradicate Them, the U.S. Military was Weaponizing the Zika Mosquito
After months of anticipation, the Zika virus has finally arrived to the continental U.S., with 15 non-travel cases being reported in Florida as of August 2. The virus is carried primarily by a species of mosquito called Aedes aegypti.
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) issued its first-ever warning for within the U.S., urging pregnant women to avoid travel to a Miami neighborhood where the Zika investigation is centered.
CDC and the Florida Health Department recommended an aerial spraying program to cover a 10-square-mile area just north of downtown Miami. The state is spraying a chemical called Naled, which is an organophospate pesticide that causes severe skin and eye irritation; it also contains an inert ingredient called napthaline which is classified by the EPA as a “possible human carcinogen.”
When this chemical was recommended to be sprayed in Puerto Rico, protests erupted from residents concerned about their health and the environmental impacts. Organophosphate pesticides also devastate bee populations and other beneficial insects, which affects agriculture as well as ecosystem health.
Governments are often quick to pour chemicals into the environment as a first reaction, as it gives the appearance of “doing something” and enriches chemical companies who contribute to political campaigns. So, with 15 cases of Zika and sustained media fear-mongering, the first government-sponsored spraying program has begun in Florida.
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