http://www2.townonline.com/newton/localRegional/view.bg?articleid=247025&format=text
Newton TAB (Massachusetts)
on Townonline.com
May 18, 2005
Tick box plan kicked out of Nahanton
By Karla Hailer-Fidelman/ Correspondent
In 2003, Newton had 22 reported cases of Lyme disease, a bacterial
infection transmitted by deer ticks which, if not treated early,
can cause long-term joint, heart and nervous system problems.
According to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health,
there were 257 reported cases of Lyme disease in Middlesex County
in 2003.
Massachusetts has a rate that is almost three times higher than
the national average and ranks fifth nationwide in terms of occurrence,
with the highest number of cases occurring on the Cape and Islands
as well as the area immediately around Quabbin Reservoir.
So when a partnership of Waltham Services and Baer [sic, Bayer]
Corporation approached the city to test a "car wash for mice"
in Nahanton Park - to control the tick population and reduce the
spread of Lyme disease - the Department of Public Health and the
Integrated Pest Management listened.
After receiving a positive reaction from these groups, the companies
gave their presentation at the Recreation Commission for approval
at its meeting Monday night, May 16.
The boxes, which cannot be opened, making
them child- and pet-safe, have a wick that has been soaked with
the chemical Fipronil, the same chemical used in a flea
and tick treatment called "Frontline" for household
pets, and some bait to attract small rodents such as mice and
chipmunks. The rodents pass through the box and brush under the
wick, receiving a dose of Fipronil that then kills the ticks that
cause Lyme disease.
Early tests throughout the Northeast and the East Coast seem
to show that there is little danger to the public and it is a
practical approach to the concern of Lyme disease.
The wicks dry out after approximately 90 days and are replaced
with a new set of boxes.
The program appeared to be on a fast track
for approval until Duane Hillis from Friends of Nahanton Park
and Ellie Goldberg from Green Decade argued against the program.
Because the boxes would be anchored near community garden plots,
members of Friends of Nahanton Park are concerned about the effects
of the chemicals on the food stuffs that would be growing not
far from the boxes.
"Once [Fipronil] is in, it's not getting out," Hillis
said as he pointed out the proximity of the Charles River to the
area. "We know this kills blue gills and quail ... let's
study this before we use it."
Hillis also pointed out that while the companies would come
back to do a study, they would not be returning year after year
or checking on long-term resistance to the chemical. Goldberg
questioned why the initial response is always a chemical one in
spite of growing evidence that diseases and insects are becoming
resistant to the chemicals more quickly. She referred to www.bodyburden.org,
a study done out of the Mt. Sinai school of medicine in New York,
that measured the levels of industrial compounds, pollutants and
other chemicals in a number of people. The concern being a little
of this and other chemicals commonly used to treat lawns and control
insect populations are all tiny amounts, but that they build up
in the body and turn into longer-term health problems.
When asked how many of the 22 Newton cases of Lyme disease came
from the Nahanton Park area, the response was that nearly all
the cases came from people who had traveled to the Cape, and there
were no known cases from the Nahanton Park area. Both activists
cited that part of the problem could be addressed by Parks and
Recreation mowing the meadow area more frequently, thus reducing
the amount of brush for mice to use for cover.
Bob DeRubeus from Parks and Recreation said the area is currently
mowed once a year, and increasing the schedule to two or three
times a year should be feasible.
When asked, Fran Towle, the Parks and Recreation commissioner,
deferred to the recommendations made by the Health Department
and IPM. "They're the experts," she said. There were
no members from IPM or the Health Department at the meeting to
discuss their recommendations.
Andrew Stern, chairman of the Recreation Commission, was visibly
uncomfortable with the demonstration boxes placed on the table
near him.
"I don't even want to touch the things or pass them around,"
he said. At that point, the representative from Waltham Pest management
removed the boxes, replacing them in his bag. On the other hand,
Stern said he was inclined to trust the recommendations from IPM
as the head of the commission, Doug Dickson, was named conservator
of the year by Green Decade.
He asked when the boxes would need to be anchored in order to
be effective, and was told by the end of this month. Noting that
a motion to postpone a vote until there was more information would,
in effect, delay the study by a year, Stern made a motion to postpone
a vote until a later meeting. In the end, there was one abstention,
one vote against a postponement and the rest of the commission
voted to postpone a decision.
Ward 1 representative Jennie DeVito, who watched the debate
with great interest, pointed out the commission just received
the information at the evening's meeting with no chance of previous
review. She didn't like it, suggesting that the city should first
"go back to root [measures]" such as mowing or other
methods. "There's no place good enough
for your chemical in my city."
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