SAMPLE LETTER #2
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---INCLUDE THE DATE HERE---
Metro Public Health Department Environmental Health Bureau
311 23rd Avenue North
Nashville, TN 37203

Dear Dr. Paul, Dr. Hager, and members of the Board of Health,

As a citizen of Davidson County, I am writing to express my serious concerns about the proposed Mosquito Control Policy. ----IF YOU WERE OR COULD BE AFFECTED by Metro's spraying INCLUDE STATEMENTS HERE. It is also important to note if members of your household have respiratory, allergy, immune system or other medical conditions that you or your doctors believe might be adversely affected by exposure to insecticide sprays or if you were affected by spraying in 2003-2006. Organic gardeners should note this.-----

I object to the fact that the proposed policy does not adequately follow the basic protections and notification mandates provided by Metro Code Ordinance BL #2007-1389 ANY time the Health Department elects to spray. It was clearly not the intent of the Council to suspend these protections whenever spraying occurs, but only when the level of risk seems urgent enough to require it. Otherwise, there would have been no point in enacting the notification and exemption requirements at all.

I ask for the following changes and additions to the proposed policy:

1. Unless there is a severe risk to humans, there are no acceptable reasons not to follow the ordinance's exact requirements for signage and the visible pedestrian warning policy.

2. The Plan, as written, in the sections on spraying in general fails to acknowledge differences in levels of threat to public health when spraying takes place. There should be differences between the mildest level of threat (reflected in the tiny number of human infection cases reported in Davidson County in prior years), and possible levels of multiple cases, or potentially epidemic levels of infection.

3. Ironically, the Plan does acknowledge that "during most public health threats" the proposed spraying from trucks on the street ":will miss areas of mosquito habitat." It treats that as acceptable, and says that only "severe escalation in human risk" will warrant consideration of aerial or off-road spraying. If it is acceptable to miss spraying actual areas of mosquito habitat that lie between streets lined with residential lots, it surely should be acceptable to allow the opt out zone of 150 feet from property lines for residents requesting it, that is mandated by the Metro Council.

4. Unless there is "severe escalation in human risk," the Health Department should postpone spraying during air quality alerts as the ordinance mandates since one-third of Nashville's population is at risk during air quality alerts.

5. Since a growing number of citizens have cell phones only, the policy should include a way for citizens to sign up for cell phone notification if they wish.

6. The policy should include specific statements about the inherent risks of pesticides. Health Department employees have a history of making false claims that the pesticide they use is "harmless" or "safe." They are still making these false claims today. Employees also have repeatedly and willfully violated the Health Department's policies and, at times, caused injury and adverse effects to citizens because of this conduct. Health officials should not allow any of this unprofessional conduct to continue. Solid and explicit policies should be enacted to directly address this defiance of knowledge and authority to prevent incidents like this from happening in the future.

INCLUDE ANY OTHER SUGGESTIONS FOR POLICY CHANGE HERE or DELETE BOLD TYPE

Thank you for you time and consideration.

Sincerely,

Signature__________________________________________

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If you send your letter before March 8, consider sending it to us ONLY and we will hand deliver it to the Health Board at their March 11th meeting.

BETWEEN MARCH 8-18: Please consider sending us a copy of your letter e-mail or mail it to our volunteer Rachel Sumner, 217 Silo Court, Nashville, TN 37221