Malathion Spraying of Santa Cruz County, 1981-82

Ben Lomond CA

Description

I was living in Ben Lomond when the medfly eradication program took place, and watched out the window as a fleet of helicopters right over the treetops with thirty foot wide emitter pipes doused every square inch of ground with malathion. My apartment featured a constant air exchange with the environment; I also worked outdoors during this period in the evenings in areas that were repeatedly sprayed, and which stank of insecticide. I believe it was in the early fall of '82 when they sprayed our area along Hwy 9 north of Glen Arbor. There may have been more than one saturation, as a medfly was found in Ben Lomond. I would very much appreciate hearing about any memories others have of this event, especially about the timing. And if there are any that were there, who, like me, may conceivably be dealing with the symptoms of organophosphate poisoning, please contact me. I was there, a perfectly healthy young man. I have been fighting ME for 38 years, since a few short months after the spraying (diagnosed at UCSF 2015; I knew what it was long before, as is typical with ME). I just became aware of the connection between ME (formerly called CFS) and organophosphate poisoning, and my God, it all fits!! I have all the classic symptoms of the disorder--I could be the poster child--but my first symptom, back in Ben Lomond, 1983,was symptomatically redolent of neurogical toxicity. Why should we continue to be victims? I feel about ready to rock and roll, post-exertional malaise or not.