On Friday, September 9th, Officials in Miami gave the go-ahead to begin aerial spraying the insecticide Naled to interrupt the transmission of the Zika virus being spread by mosquitos. The number of people infected through local transmission in Miami has risen to 15 as of Monday, September 5th. The number of Zika cases nation wide has been confirmed by the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention to be a staggering 1,658 cases. All but one of these cases has been contracted through travel to Zika-infected areas. Over 400 of these confirmed cases involve pregnant women, seventeen of who have given birth to babies with birth defects and five of which have resulted in lost pregnancies. While Zika produces mild, flu-like symptoms for non-pregnant individuals, it can cause severe, life long, …show more content…
The US sprays 16 million acres of Naled every year which has been linked to neurological defects which raises concern. While the insecticide is approved to be safe for crops and water supplies, it is recommended to wash produce and avoid direct contact. Although there is little risk for the environment while using Naled, wildlife is not as safe. There is threats to aquatic and terrestrial wildlife. The risks begin before the insecticide has fully broken down which does not persist for long periods of time. The most affected creature are the bees that are coming into contact with the insecticide. The aerial spraying in North Carolina resulted in the death of millions of honeybees. The product used, Trump, which contains the pesticide Naled, is labeled to be highly toxic to bees. Many beekeepers were not warned about the aerial spraying which resulted in the loss of their colonies. Juanita Stanley stated: “Now, I 'm going to have to destroy my hives, the honey, all my