THE METRO PUBLIC HEALTH DEPARTMENT VIOLATEs MOSQUITO CONTROL POLICY JUNE 21, 2006 IN SYLVAN PARK

The Health Department made claims they sprayed in Syvlan Park because of the large numbers of mosquitoes. However, some residents of Sylvan Park were reporting that the mosquitoes in the area did not seem bad before spraying.

So, under the Tennessee Open Records Law, the No Spray Coalition requested the mosquito trapping results for all areas that were sprayed in June 2006. We discovered a violation of the Health Department's policies. They sprayed Sylvan Park after finding 17 mosquitoes in the trap the night before it was sprayed. These are the trapping results we were given for Sylvan Park:

SYLVAN PARK permanent trapping site, 37209 in area Sprayed on June 21, 2006
(According to Larry Cole at the Health Dept. these are culex female numbers only.)

Date #Culex mosquitoes
5/02 ... 26
5/04 ... 111
5/09 ... 61
5/16 ... 43
5/18 ...66
5/23 ... 308 (spike in mosquito population)
5/25 ... 133
5/31 ... 254
6/02 ... 194
6/06 ... 162
6/08 ... 185
6/13 ... 66 (Mosquito population dropped by 2/3s.)
6/15 ... 55 (The decision to spray this area was made on this date.)
6/20 ... 17 (The minimum number of mosquitoes for spraying is supposed to be 35.)
6/21 ... SPRAYED This violated the Health Dept's minimum action threshold policy of 35 female mosquitoes. The spraying should have been canceled.
6/22 ... 8 (Test site numbers were down across Nashville this week whether they were sprayed or not.)

HOW DID THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT RESPOND TO HIGH MOSQUITO POPULATIONS PRIOR TO SPRAYING?

Only two property inspections are noted in the Health Department's logs for the Sylvan Park/Heights neighborhood.

3/30 Nebraska Ave visit noted water in pool
4/24 Utah Ave inspection notes they found no water
6/21 SPRAYED

CONCLUSIONS: The Health Department did nothing to reduce moquito populations non-toxically while the population soared. Instead, they elected to spray pesticide AFTER the mosquito population had decreased (naturally) to extremely low numbers. (Spraying when there are low numbers of mosquitoes increase the likelihood that mosquitoes will become resistant. Based on the data given to us by the Health Department, this was a violation of their Moquito Control Policy (see at the bottom of the page). The spraying should have been canceled.)

See trap results for other areas click here.

WHAT IS THE SOLUTION FOR THESE PROBLEMS?

The Health Department should hire a sufficient number of seasonal workers who would respond to high mosquito populations by:

1.) Flyering neighborhood with educational materials informing neighbors that mosquitoes populations are high and they need to look around their yards to reduce standing water.

2.) Informing the neighborhood that they can get help by calling them for an inspection in their yard.

3.) Visual inspections of front yards and approaching homes that have visable problems to offer assistance.

WHAT WAS THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT'S RESPONSE TO OUR COMPLAINTS ABOUT POLICY VIOLATIONS?

On July 14, 2006, a volunteer spoke with Dr. Brent Hager of the Health Department. He stated that the minimum action threshold has been 100 not 35 as stated in their policy. This knowledge makes their violation of their policy even more outrageous.

A secretary at the Health Department gave volunteers two internal documents while they were searching the records. Both documents conveniently omit the pre-trapping data that was done the day before spraying. One document was a chart that manipulated data and had multiple omissions that were self-serving.

Fall 2006 update: The Health Department quietly removed the third paragraph (below) from their policy.)

The MPHD's Mosquito Control Policy states:
"The primary action threshold for ULV truck-mounted application of Anvil is the identification of a pool of mosquito positive for WNV or the identification of a human case.

However, the minimum action threshold for initiating ULV truck-mounted application of insecticide is a mosquito population density of 35 female mosquitoes in a gravid trap....

In making the decision for ULV truck-mounted application of insecticides based on minimum action threshold, mosquito density data used in make such decision must be from the area of concern and must have been collected within a period not exceeding 48 hours prior to initiation of treatment. "
Source: http://healthweb.nashville.gov