Plano Health Officials To Recommend No Aerial Spraying To City Council
PLANO (CBS 11 NEWS) - Despite Dallas County's claims of success with aerial spraying, cities to the north are not buying it. Both Plano and Denton believe ground resources can do as much as anything from the air with less risk to citizens who do not want it.
Denton resident Carol Alexander has bone cancer and wonders if toxic pesticides caused it.
"I remember when I was a child they were spraying our town with DDT. You can't tell me that DDT hasn't affected people over the years maybe even brought on my cancer," Alexander said.
79-year-old Alexander is opposed to any aerial spraying to kill mosquitoes even those that might carry the deadly West Nile Virus.
"I think me having cancer and being on chemo is not going to help it because you breathe that stuff in and I don't need any additional problems than I already have," she said.
Health and environmental concerns are among the reasons the Denton City Council voted to opt out of aerial spraying, despite two deaths in the county, one of which was inside city limits.
Mayor Mark Burroughs says his city has conducted more aggressive ground spraying than any other city which he says seems to be working.
Meanwhile the City of Plano believes the underwater pills which control mosquito larvae will be more effective than above ground pesticides.
Health Director Brian Collins will recommend the city council opt out of aerial spraying and continue dropping these growth inhibitors in stagnant water which he says is more effective.
That is part of the argument the health department will make to the council Monday night at Plano's city hall.
Plano is also starting an awareness campaign with a bar code which when scanned by a smartphone will take you to websites with information about cases and what chemicals are in the pesticides being used.
The City of Lewisville also has a vote scheduled Monday night on aerial spraying.
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