The spraying season is upon us, literally. The blueberry growers of Maine have begun the aerial spraying of pesticides such as Guthion and will continue for the next few weeks.

Guthion is an organophosphate which contains Azinphos-methyl. The Environmental Protection Agency decided in 2001 to cancel, phase out or continue under time-limited registrations the crop uses of this pesticide. Azinphos-methyl is highly toxic. EPA’s Web site states that “Azinphos-methyl poses a high degree of risk to agricultural workers, as well as acute ecological risks.” EPA admits uncertainty related to the absence of complete data (for example, nuerotoxicity studies) for the assessment of potential effects on infants and children. Another quote from the EPA Web site: “All of the organophosphates are neurotoxic in that they may cause cholinesterase inhibition and related clinical signs. Organophosphates also may cause neuropathology of the visual system or effects on cognitive function, i.e., learning and memory, as well as other effects on the nervous system.”

The public is woefully underinformed regarding the spraying of these pesticides. A partial list of the towns to be sprayed (just by one company alone) includes Union, Frankfort, Stockton Springs, Surry, Blue Hill, Sedgwick, Dedham, Penobscot, Prospect, Orland, Bucksport, Ellsworth, Eastbrook, Aurora, Mariaville, Clifton, Brooksville, Sullivan, Franklin, Steuben, Cherryfield, Jonesport, Machias and many others.

The Maine Blueberry Commission used to have an 800 phone number that people could call to find out when their towns are being sprayed, but that was discontinued. Also discontinued was the practice of sending information to radio stations about which towns were being sprayed on what days. It is now incumbent upon the citizen to contact the blueberry company to be notified of the spraying. This information should be broadcast far and wide. The vast majority of people are not aware and never know about this, even though their own health, or the health of their children may be undermined by this spraying.

I request that the Bangor Daily News cover this issue, and report to the public about Guthion, a highly toxic substance being sprayed upon us at this time. It has been acknowledged that information about the drifting of pesticides is inadequate, that drift can spread much farther than most people realize, and that incidents of exposure are greatly underreported, probably because people are not aware of why they have the headache, sore throat and burning eyes. People are advised to call the Maine Poison Control Center if exposed. Poison. That says something in itself.

This product, produced by the Bayer Corp., is being phased out by the EPA for good reason. In the meantime, Maine people are being exposed without their knowledge. Someday, we will see how insane it was to poison our children. But we are not all at that point yet. So the least we can do is be informed and choose to limit our exposure.

We know there are many children in Maine with asthma. Common sense will tell you that this spraying can only exacerbate that problem, among many others. People should be able to choose to keep their children inside during the spraying, at the very least. But we can’t do that if we are not informed. Bangor Daily News, please inform us. The spraying of toxic chemicals by helicopters on unsuspecting citizens is a news story.

Everyone can learn more by visiting Web sites of the EPA (www.epa.gov) or Pesticide Action Network North America (www.panna.org) on the Internet.

Blueberries are known for their health benefits, for their high antioxidant content. Guthion, Hexazinine and other herbicide and pesticide products used by the blueberry industry negate those benefits, in my opinion, if these toxic substances are the price the people (and the environment) of Maine must (unknowingly) pay. Blueberries are grown organically with great success in Maine.

Please inform your readers. It’s in all of our back yards.

Cathy Melio lives in Stockton Springs.