Chemical arms race is being launched in Salt Lake
Mosquitoes and other insects can be overwhelming to people who visit Great Salt Lake. This very much includes the area in which both the new prison and the Utah Inland Port are being built. Because of this, the Salt Lake City Mosquito Abatement District wants to do aerial spraying of pesticides using the US Air Force starting this summer, which would have a devastating effect in the ecosystem.
Dr. Brian Moench addresses this in an OpEd in the Salt Lake Tribune with Richard Holman:
We became alarmed to learn that the Salt Lake City Mosquito Abatement District (SLCMAD) has already been conducting aerial spraying of pesticides in the area. But now, acknowledging even that is not working, it wants to ramp up spraying by enlisting the U.S. Air Force. Ignoring the many reasons spraying fails, such as mosquitoes developing pesticide resistance, SLCMAD is launching a chemical arms race. The district is ignoring the extensive medical research on the human health consequences of these biologic poisons.
Salt Lake Tribune
There are many reasons to oppose the dirty energy inland port. Among them is that the area is home to insects like mosquitoes, birds, and other wildlife in the wetlands of Great Salt Lake. The Legislature was warned about all the reasons why this area couldn’t and shouldn’t be “developed,” but of course they didn’t listen.
In 2014, experts warned that low dose exposure to a long list of industrial chemicals had precipitated a global, “silent pandemic” of impaired brain development affecting children. One out of every six children in the United States now has a brain developmental disorder. Rates of autism have continued their alarming rise, affecting one out of every 34 boys in the U.S. Utah has one of the highest rates in the nation.
Salt Lake Tribune