Over 20 environmental and public health organizations on Long Island announced the formation of the Alliance for Safe Alternatives to Pesticides (ASAP - LI) last week.

ASAP is an alliance of organizations that are concerned about the effects on public health and the environment of the long term and widespread use of pesticides stemming from last fall's aerial spraying of malathion and other pesticides trying to control an outbreak of the mosquito-borne virus that causes West Nile encephalitis.

Although the alliance just officially announced their beginning, members have already been meeting with county legislators in Nassau and Suffolk counties.

Both counties, as well as New York State, have announced that they will use pesticide spraying only as a last resort this year. "In the rush to save people from the West Nile virus, many have failed to realize that the chemicals used to kill the mosquitoes are poisoning our environment and have the potential to kill more people than the West Nile Virus itself," said Amy Hamlin with the New York League of Conservation Voters, Long Island Chapter. "We are calling on elected officials to lead by protecting people not only from the West Nile virus, but from pesticide exposure."

The alliance was formed with seven objectives in mind. First, members would like to have both Nassau and Suffolk Counties develop pilot programs in non-toxic methodology to deal with mosquito control. "We want alternative measures other than pesticide use to control mosquitoes both at the larva and adult stage," said Adrienne Esposito of the Farmingdale based Citizens Campaign for the Environment, who helped organize the new coalition. "We believe that this can be done and we believe that the technology is out there. We need to find out which are effective here on Long Island."

The second objective deals with public information about environmental health hazards. If the health departments are going to decide to spray pesticides, they also need to be ethically and morally responsible for telling the public what are the health ramifications and the environmental ramifications of spraying our pesticides, according to the alliance.

The third objective that the alliance is working for is environmental monitoring. "In the case that the health departments do decide to use pesticides again this year to combat West Nile Virus, we need to monitor the environment, both the water quality and the ecological balance to see if there has been any impact due to the utilization of pesticides," said Esposito.

The alliance is also trying to develop a "No spray list." People who have multiple chemical sensitivities or effective immune systems or even pregnant women who want to be placed on a no spray list, according to the alliance, have the right to do so. "We need for the counties to figure out how to implement that list and give these people advance warning so they can leave town if they want or take the necessary precautions so they do not get exposed to chemicals or pesticides," said Esposito.

The alliance advocates that Nassau and Suffolk counties no longer support DEET as a protective measure. Members of the Alliance suggest using insect repellents that do not contain DEET as it is a pesticide itself and is not a safe chemical for children. It is absorbed through the skin and should not be sprayed directly on the body. The alliance states that there are serious health problems associated with DEET.

Medical establishments should be educated and made aware of the health ramification that deal with pesticide poisoning, according to the newly formed alliance. "Pesticide exposure can lead to anything from shortness of breath, asthma attacks, headaches, nausea, loss of memory and becoming disoriented," said Esposito. "We need for our health officials to be much more sensitive to what those health effects are so they can look for any kind of overall effect the public may be experiencing in the case of pesticide spraying."

The alliance is working with the counties so they can develop an approach that is a very specific approach which will not involve the use pesticides. Counties can find out where the infected pools of mosquitoes are well in advance and those are the areas that should be targeted.

Members of the organization include the Long Island Breast Cancer Action Coalition, Citizens Campaign for the Environment, Earthsave, Environmental Health Resource Center, Long Island League of Conservation Voters, Long Island Drinking Water Coalition, Long Island Sierra Club, and Long Island Planning Committee.

Right now, the coalition plans to emphasize methods of controlling mosquitoes that do not involve the use of pesticides such as removing standing water and using natural products to ward off mosquitoes. They eventually plan to broaden that focus beyond West Nile and push to reduce all pesticide use.