While I agree that the West Nile Virus is a terrible disease and needs to be addressed, I don't agree that a prevention method should ever be worse than the problem. That's exactly what we're getting with proposed aerial spraying for West Nile Virus in Dallas County. (By the way, I don't want the ground spraying either but this focus is on aerial spraying)

This past Friday (8/10/12) our notorious Dallas County Commissioner's Court (yeah... they call it a "Court") declared a state of emergency and requested planes for aerial pesticide spraying (http://blogs.dallasobserver.com/unfairpark/2012/08/dallas_county_declares_state_o.php). These "Cracker Jack box scholars" of chemical pesticide cite studies of other cities where aerial spraying has been done successfully and without harm to the public. WHAT THEY DON'T TELL YOU is how those studies were conducted and by who. Studies cited by those who endorse aerial spraying spout the successes of this process in Virginia and North Carolina. What they don't tell you is exactly what chemicals were in those studies compared to what they want to spray over us here in Dallas County (possibly including Rowlett). Read the study here: http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/westnile/conf/pdf/Azziz_Baumgartner_6_04.pdf.

The fact is that Dallas County plans to use a buffet of chemicals in their spraying. One of which that is highly controversial is called an "endocrine inhibitor." This chemical is known for adverse effects on the development and reproductive functions in animals. But unfortunately the way it affects humans is supposedly "poorly understood and scientifically controversial." Well that's not good enough for me, my family or my neighbors here in Rowlett! 

If you trust our mischievous Dallas County Commissioners then this won't matter to you, but if you're like me, you don't trust these folks any further than you can throw them. So I ask that the citizens of Rowlett stand up for our clean air and clean water and chemical-free homes and demand that the City of Rowlett forbid aerial spraying over our city.

Thank you for signing this petition!
Kent Gilliam