Alliance for Sensible Mosquito Management

A coalition of organizations and residents opposed to the use of harmful pesticides for mosquito control in the greater Portland area

Position Statement on the Use of Pesticides to Control Adult Mosquitoes

created by:
Portland Audubon Society - Bob Sallinger, Wildlife Care Center Director
Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation - Mace Vaughan, Staff Entomologist
Northwest Coalition for Alternatives to Pesticides - Pollyanna Lind, Clean Water Campaign Coordinator
and Portland resident, Debby Schwartz

We, the undersigned, fully support the following statement on the use of pesticides to control adult mosquito populations in the Portland metropolitan region.

Though the relative health risks are very low, we recognize that West Nile virus is a disease with public health related concerns. Thus, we support efforts to reduce urban mosquito populations using effective techniques that do not harm wildlife, water quality, or human and environmental health. Specifically, we applaud Multnomah County’s efforts to decrease the spread of the virus by eliminating unnatural bodies of standing water and educating the community about effective, non-chemical ways of reducing mosquito breeding sites around the home.

We do not support the use of pesticides for adult mosquito control. The use of pesticides to control adult mosquitoes will not eliminate mosquitoes and thus is not a solution to West Nile virus. It is the least effective way to manage mosquito populations and presents a risk to both human and environmental health.

The pesticides used for adult mosquito control often pose human health risks such as negative impacts on the respiratory, hormone, and nervous systems, especially to vulnerable populations such as asthmatics, the elderly, children, pregnant or nursing women, and people with suppressed immune systems or chemical sensitivities.

The use of pesticides to control adult mosquito populations is likely to negatively impact insect, fish, bird, reptile, amphibians, and mammal populations, including those that naturally control mosquitoes. In addition to being fatally toxic, they can also impede species survival through subtle impacts on reproduction or development, as well as indirect impacts on food supply.

We strongly encourage Multnomah County to continue to focus on educational outreach and non-chemical reduction of backyard and neighborhood mosquito populations as the best and most effective methods of reducing mosquito populations and protecting the public from West Nile virus. We strongly oppose any move towards the spraying of pesticides for adult mosquito control.