Risk_Assessment

My evaluation of the risk of Malathion based on my outline of the four steps of risk assessment is that using it can cause 90 cases of related illnesses. Out of the 90 cases four of them may be fatal. So not only will there be 90 case related illnesses causing normally healthy people to become sick, four of these illnesses may cause them to lose their lives. Anyone who would be exposed to the pesticide applications may become sick and or die. The main time that the pesticide will be used will be in the summer, after rainfall, or anytime large numbers of mosquitoes are present. This can be extremely dangerous for children since summer is a time of the year when they are outside playing more often and school is out. The only time people would be exposed to the pesticide occurs when an application is originally sprayed or ends up on any grown foods. The poor or uneducated have a higher risk of exposure because they may not follow the safety precautions from the Malathion application program. For example, the uninformed residents could be outside during spraying or eat matter that has been exposed to the pesticide. They may also handle food that may have been sprayed. This also includes any children whom might be outside without any adult supervision. Using this application can kill the natural predators that kill of mosquitoes and damage the ecosystem that the tourists like. This can mean the loss of visitors that come into town specifically for that reason only. When the town loses its tourists, the profits gained from them will be gone as well. Since there is no evidence that using Malathion will not cause any long-term risks to the environment. This is concerning to me because I am a firm believer that we should not attempt to do anything that could possibly harm the environment. Since we do not have any information about the long-terms risks to the environment I do not think Malathion should be used. The risk of this damaging the environment, causing illnesses, and possibly death, does not seem beneficial enough to go forward with this proposal. For these reasons my vote is against the use of Malathion applications to eliminate the spread of West Nile Virus. Once there is information available that can show that it causes no long-term risks to the environment, I will reevaluate this once at that time. The political aspect of this whole proposal is that a decision on this needs to be made by each of the city council members voting if they agree or do not agree to use Malathion through a majority rule. They must find out as much information as they can in to weigh the risks and the benefits of using the Malathion application to eliminate the mosquitoes. Everyone must think through thoroughly the reasoning for their vote carefully before making a decision because it can mean saving lives. Their decisions will also affect the economy because if they choose to go with the use of pesticide, it could damage the ecosystem which brings in tourism. It can also mean life or death for someone no matter which way they decide to vote. For example, it they vote to use Malathion, someone can die from the exposure of the pesticide. If they decide to vote against it, someone could possibly die from being infected with the West Nile virus. So each person must explore all options and alternatives carefully. References Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. (2005). Toxicologic information about insecticides used for eradicating mosquitoes. Malathion (CAS Number 121-75-5). Retrieved July 1, 2007, from http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/consultations/west_nile_virus/ Malathion.html. Center for Disease Control and Prevention. (2007). 2006 West Nile Virus activity in the United States. West Nile Virus Statistics, Surveillance, and Control. Retrieved July 1, 2007, from http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/westnile/surv&controlCaseCount06_detailed.htm.