LEARN FROM THE PAST - VOW TO NEVER LET OUR HEALTH DEPARTMENT VIOLATE OUR TRUST AND OUR HEALTH AGAIN

From 2003-2008, Nashville's Metro Public Health Department violated federal law, sprayed pedestrians with pesticides, failed to follow their own policies, and constantly failed to use common sense protocols when trying to manage mosquitoes. They finally changed their spraying threshold after we exposed the failures of their 2008 spraying campaign. A judge ruling against them in an injury claim probably helped a little too.

See where the department sprayed in 2008 and the so-called notification signs they posted. See the photo to the right.

This picture shows spray truck driver John Primm violating the policy they USED to have to shut off the pesticide when people are present. Despite a multitude of complaints from 2003-2006, Health officials denied ANY driver has EVER left the spray running in the presence of pedestrians. We were inspired to release this photo after 2 of them lied under oath in a 2007 deposition. Some of them started changing how they framed their statements after we released the photo.

One man from Fisk Park said, "I don't think they'd get way with spraying the children in Belle Meade like they did in our neighborhood." READ ABOUT HOW SPRAY TRUCK DRIVERS LEFT CHILDREN AND OTHER PEDESTRIANS IN A CLOUD OF PESTICIDE ON JULY 31, 2006 in North Nashville.

The EPA does not allow manufacturers or distributors to say that any pesticide is safe, yet health officials in Nashville made these claims constantly. An EPA representitive even called a staff member in 2005 and told him to stop making these blanket claims - it made no difference.
Hear the Nashville Health Department's Public Information Officer Brian Todd talked about how the strength of the pesticide could be increased by 80,000 times and still be SAFE!" This is one small example of the irresponsible and unethical behavior that was allowed at the Metro Public Health Department from 2003-2008. View it, click here!