California – Paradise (and our vacation)Lost!

Our family has been planning a much awaited extended vacation to California this summer. We were taking our niece and her friends for a graduation celebration – but not any more.

We were planning to start our trip on the Monterey Peninsula with a long golf weekend end (the Peninsula has 36 golf courses, including Pebble Beach!), hikes in Big Sur, whale watching in Monterey Bay’s Marine Sanctuary and Carmel Valley’s wine country. We had equally wonderful stops and activities all the way to Marin County.

We are not going now! Beginning in June, California is going to begin an aerial spraying program over almost all the cities between Monterey and Marin County. They will spray 3-4 days per month, every month, for the next 5 - 10 years! They are telling people to stay indoors, keep your pets inside, and to wash children’s play equipment and cars immediately.

When I first heard of this I thought that it had to be a bad urban legend. Since we had had so been looking forward to this trip I did my own investigation. And it’s all TRUE. California is going to war against a moth. There appears to be much controversy as to whether the moth posses any real threat, but California is proceeding with the program.

They have already done two test sprayings in Monterey and Santa Cruz. The Monterey Herald reports over 640 people sought medical care as a result of the spray.

Again hoping that this was exaggerated I did some investigations of the chemical that they are spraying. Having a science background this was a fairly easy task, but what I found was very disturbing. First of all, California will not publish the full list of ingredients, something about protecting the company that makes the chemical. Here is what I found on the ingredients that they had published – in short, this stuff in very nasty and toxic and nothing that I am willing to expose my family to.

Here’s a partial list of the ingredients and some info on each. It’s more than you want to know, but once I got started the story just kept getting worse, I couldn’t stop. I wanted to find something that would make it OK to keep our vacation plans.

The chemical is called Checkmate LBAM-F, and contains:
(E)-11-TETRADECEN-1-YL ACETATE (
(E,E) -9,11 Tetradecadien-1-yl Acetate
Tricaprylyl Methyl Ammonium Chloride
1,2-benzisothiozoli-3-one
2-hydroxy-4-n-octyloxybenzophenone
Butylated Hydroxytoluene
Polyvinyl Alcohol


Active Ingredients - Pheromones
(E)-11-Tetradecen-1-yl Acetate
(E,E) -9,11 Tetradecadien-1-yl Acetate
11-tetradecen-l-ol acetate
Actual toxicity data of these pheromone components are lacking.


Inert Ingredients
I thought “inert” meant what the dictionary says, “no chemical activity”. Apparently in the pesticide world “inert” means ”does not enhanced the intended function of the compound”. So these chemical below are in the formula, but no do directly participate? Sounds like double-speak to me, but this is what they do to us humans.
Checkmate LBAM-F’s inert ingredients makeup 82.39% of the formulation
Tricaprylyl Methyl Ammonium Chloride) (TMAC) (Surfactant)
Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) warn that this substance is extremely hazardous in case of ingestion, inhalation, skin and eye contact and that it causes severe skin and eye burns. Symptoms of inhalation exposure include irritation of the respiratory tract, burning pain in the nose and in the throat, coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath, and pulmonary edema

1,2-benzisothiozoli-3-one (BIT)
BIT is a preservative associated with occupational asthma. Multiple accounts of occupational dermatitis have been reported with exposure BIT. In the EU, it is classified as irritating to the skin and as a potential risk of causing serious eye damage. BIT is a known dermal irritant at levels as low as 0.1% concentration.

2-hydroxy-4-n-octyloxybenzophenone
2-Hydroxy-4-n-octyl benzophenone is a UV light absorber of unknown health impact. However, related compounds in the benzophenone family have been shown to form estrogenic photoproducts, upon exposure to UV or sunlight In the European Union it is classified as an irritant that may cause sensitization upon skin contact and is irritating to the eyes, respiratory system and skin.

Butylated Hydroxytoluene (BHT)
Studies have shown BHT to be carcinogenic, hepatotoxic, tumorigenic, mutagenic and teratogenic in animals as well as in human cells. MSDS sheets state that chronic exposure to BHT may case adverse reproductive and birth defects. BHT is classified an ecological toxin (OSHA) with specific toxicity to marine life.

Polyvinyl Alcohol (PVA)
No human data on chronic exposure is available. Animal studies showed a drop in hemoglobin and erythrocyte (red blood cell) number with eventual complete coagulation inhibition. The possibility of carcinogenicity is seen in some animal studies. Animal data shows tumorigenicity.

Crosslinked Polyurea Polymer and Polynmethylene Polyphone Isocyanate (PPI)

Researchers at UC Davis published a study which revealed that the microcapsules in the LBAM formula ranged from 10-190 microns. The American Lung Association classifies aerosol particles of 10 microns in the size as particulate pollution (known as PMA10) that contributes to a host of adverse conditions, mostly, but no exclusively, respiratory in nature.

It seems that California is going to do spraying from trucks also. The stuff they are using for that makes the ones above seem like a party favor. The list is too long to print and by the time I got to this I know we WERE NOT GOING TO CALIFORNIA FOR VACATION!

Californians have a reputation for being “out –there”, but this is insane.

California is a great and beautiful place to visit. Looks like it is about to become the next toxic waste site.

This makes me sick to my stomach because I LIVE here. I know that San Francisco County and San Mateo County are not spraying yet, they have a moratorium until more is researched. San Mateo County is using "twist ties" with chemicals in trees in small acre parcels away form residential areas, at least this is better than aerial spraying. I feel so helpless, no one wants it but it seems like no one is listening to us!!!

I don't think you'll be missed much.

I just got back from California on Tuesday. Everywhere we went, there were signs warning us of possible exposures to the tiniest amounts of possible carcinogens etc.

Gas was $3.75 a gallon because California has the highest emissions standards in the country for air pollution.

I find it very hard to believe that safe_traveler, who has only posted twice, both about the same topic is a real traveler. I think s/he is just out to pull our political chain, thus the heavy chemistry lessons.

Fuggedaboutit. S/he aint' real!

Safe_traveler says they are a scientist which is FALSE.

Checkmate is a pheromone similar to other pheromone sprays that have been used for 30 years in CA against the gypsy moth.

"The company that manufactures CheckMate, Oregon-based Suterra Inc., has said numerous state and federal agencies tested the product and all its ingredients and determined it was safe."

Search for yourself. Don't believe a fake poster.

To safe_traveler

There is a lot more to California than the area where this spraying is going on. Come on up to the north coast or Lake Tahoe or LA or San Diego. There is lots to see and do. If you really want to come to California stop complaining and start making alternate plans. Or you could go to Iowa.

(try to)
Have Fun
GP

I tried to Google, copied one sentence into "exact phrase" into advance search, and came up with nothing. Can somebody please post a link here?

The light brown apple moth is an invasive species native to Australia and it will damage both the natural plant ecology of California and its agricultural industry. You are not an environmentalist if you wish to have the native ecology of California destroyed.

http://tinyurl.com/2z3akq

Sounds like they wanna kill the moths and the tourists all in one fell swoop. I guess that's the only way that California can figure to help with the freeway jam problem.

RBCal,
Thanks for the article. It is hard to sort out all of this out. On one side they are saying "totally harmless" and the other side is saying "totally toxic". I personally prefer what our county is doing (twist ties in trees) and I hope that it works so we can avoid spraying.

Well keep in mind that BHT and PVA which are two chemicals that "scientist" safe_traveler is freaking out over are in

Dove soap
Oil of Olay moisturizer
Old Spice deodorant
Cover Girl mascara
Visine Eye drops

Also the amount of spray is 3 ounces over an acre which is less than a bottle of Visine.

I live in Fremont CA and there are ballots out for each county to vote on the spraying since we will be charged for this to happen. I can assure you that if it is not safe, they would not be able to do it. I beleive that most of the sraying is done at night when most people are inside.

Too funny that safe_traveler would do this post....without having all of the correct information.

I can remember growing up in Ohio and having the mosquito sprayers out in the summer....I didn't die from that and doubt that I will from this.

The moth which is not native to CA is creating havoc for our farmers who already have a tough time of squeeking out a living in CA. Something needs to be done to save our crops!

safe_traveler

It appears you joined Fodor's just to post this message. This is not a forum for spreading activist propaganda.

If you are that concerned, I would stay away from the dude ranches in the Texas Hill Country because of all the chemicals and carcinogens that you may be exposed to.

And for heaven's sake, avoid much of the northeast - all that industry puts all sorts of things in the air and water.

Of course, stear clear of any agricultural areas where conventional farming goes on - pesticides and fertilizers can be pretty toxic.

safe_traveler~~

Usually when people start a thread on this forum, it is to ask a question or for help in some way.

There is no question in your post. I'm not sure what you want us to do for you.

I haved marked my calendar due my rare 100% agreement with RBCal.

Safe Traveler; if you are concerned about pesticides and other jazz that might be used to protect agriculture here in Cal. you may want to investigate the myriad studies implicating the use of these agents on the Golf courses you love so much, as there has been made a exponential connection to them and cancer in golfers.

California is surely not the only state that sprays.

Whatever you do in California---don't drink the dihyrogen oxide!!!

Yes Nora, careless could result in death.

Don't assume that what the government sprays is 'safe'.

How many of you are old enough to remember DDT being sprayed all over the country?????