MAYOR: BUZZ OFF PETER

Tate and councillor at odds over mozzie spraying

MAYOR Tom Tate says a councillor’s public warnings over the “health impacts’’ of the city’s mozzie eradication program have no scientific proof.

Councillor Peter Young warned residents they should “take protective measures’’ from widespread fogging being undertaken by council, prompting an annoyed response yesterday from the mayor.

“Our hotline is going off for no reason whatsoever,’’ he said.

A PEST controller involved in eradicating mosquitoes for more than a decade insists there is little or no health risk from citywide fogging if pesticides are used correctly.

Gold Coast Pest Management Solutions owner Michael Azzopardi said warnings by Councillor Peter Young that residents should “take protective measures” to avoid “health impacts” were unnecessary.

Cr Young went on radio to warn about potential health concerns from widespread fogging by his own Gold Coast City Council.

He said concerned residents approached him about the impact of fogging.

Mosquito numbers have reached plague proportions following higher than normal tides and wet weather, prompting the city to use fogging.

“But my warning to people, and it’s just mine, is take caution, take protective measures,” Cr Young said on air.

His warning over the pesticide Pyrocide prompted an annoyed response from Mayor Tom Tate, who was adamant there was “no scientific proof” the council’s treatment posed a risk “when the program is undertaken as per guidelines”.

Cr Tate said it was disturbing Cr Young had gone on radio to air concerns, saying “our hotline is going off for no reason whatsoever”. “We will find (mosquitoes) in the street, we will find them in the swamp, we will find them in the air, we’ll find them in the beaches – and we’ll kill them all,” he said.

Mr Azzopardi, who has been busy with fogging operations in recent weeks, said pesticides used on mosquitoes were “to kill that insect and nothing bigger than that”.

He said pest controllers had to abide by strict regulations when fogging to prevent accidental exposure.

“I’d expect the council applying chemical to an area with a fogging machine, they would have precautions to follow,” he said.

“We have to follow the regulations and apply it exactly as (the manufacturers) say to.

“(The manufacturers) put years of testing into these chemicals. They don’t want it to come back on them.

“If you walk through the fog it isn’t going to kill you.”

But he said residents should obey any directions from council workers undertaking fogging, so they could avoid unnecessary exposure.

Household chemicals tucked away in most homes were likely of more concern than the poison used in routine fogging, he said.

Bond University, Griffith University and UQ were contacted, but were unable to provide comment by deadline.