NOTHING IRRITATES me more than being on the receiving end of an hysterical cutburst. I do not consider yelling fire at the top of your lungs in a crowd- ed theatre to be productive. Nei- ther do I see the benefit of trying to panic the public with fies and half-truths concerning aerial spraying for the gypsy moth. lL implore those of you who op- pose Agriculture Canada’s plans to read on and not hastily con- clude by my tone that I am in favor of this act. In fact, I can tell you straight away that I hope an 1ith hour reprieve postpones this action until more, factual infor- mation can be made available. I opened the year with a plea for reason on the part of those who were engaging in hysterics over this issue. At that time | stated my belief that the ‘‘insec- ticide”’ in question, BTK (bacillus thuringiensis ‘‘Kurstacki’’) was an environmentally benign germ from which we had nothing to fear. I further said that we should be thankful that the powers-that-be have finally begun to see the light and adopted the use of en- vironmentally safe weapons in their war on bugs. This position has not changed. I ‘still believe BTK to be an en- vironmentally safe product for use in home and garden. The problem is, in their attempts to produce a more effective formulation, the Novo Nordisk Company has thrown in a few extra little zoodies in their Foray 48B BTK mix. Friday, April 17, 1892 — North Shore News — 45 Never cry moth What are the ‘Food Grade’ chemicals found in the mixture? Most of these are materials needed to keep the germ alive long enough to infect the caterpillar. They include such materials as water, potato mash, corn starch and a few other innocuous com- ponents. Geoff Tebiasson OVER THE GARDEN GATE However, there is also a group of chemicals listed as inert (non- active) about which the company will reveal very little. They hold these as trade secrets and feel it unnecessary to tell anything more than the fact they are listed as ‘Food Grade’’ (?} materials by the U.S. government. Now, I do not wish to slander our neighbors to the south, but I must admit to having serious questions regarding the sorts of things they insist on putting in their mouths. After all, the same official body gave the OK to sac- Sunrooms, Solariums & we is Renovation Time $ Skylights High performance energy efficient & j solar control glass. Drop-on skylights. April 30th, ‘92 407 Mountain Highway North Vancouver, B.C. 980-7511 The glass specialists - serving the North Shore for over 20 years. charine, Red Dye No. 7, MSG, and Alar; not my favorite can- didates for snackin’ food. I believe it only reasonable to become alarmed when a large corporation tells us it is about to spray us with something and yet refuses to tell us what it is. Al- though I am reasonably sure there is no intent to do us harm, I am also sure that public safety is not as high a priority as profits. This being the case, 1 must alter my stand and add my voice to those wishing to halt the spray program. take this position not in response to some hysterical cry that contends that agents of my government are trying to poison me and my children. They may be a little zealous in the execution of their tasks, but I cannot believe they hold malicious intent upon my family. The hysteria-mongers out there have suggested that there is no risk of danger from the gypsy moth; this is not true. The numbers of moths found in traps is on the increase, and if their population ever achieves critical mass and explodes, there will be no stopping them. The results could be devastating. They have suggested that BTK poses a threat to humans; this is a ridiculous exaggeration. There have been an extremely small number of reported cases involving the possibility of a rela- tionship between applications of care for our environment to be truthful and represent their cases with integrity. If we do not do this, we will do irreparable harm to the cause by desensitizing the public to our concerns. Save your hysteria for a real fire or a real wolf. began writing this column prior to the Department of &@ Now, I do not wish to slander our neighbors to the south, but I must admit to having serious questions regarding the sorts of things they insist on putting in their mouths, 93 BT (not BTK) and mild infections and/or allergic reactions. This relationsnip has never been estab- lished and there is no indication that this organic pesticide in- troduces any risk to the environ- ment. You have all heard the story of the boy who cried wolf. I believe it to be the duty of all who truly Agriculture’s news release stating their intention to advance the in- itiation date of the aerial spray program. My only hope is that reason shall prevail and our shepherds take heed of their sheep. Better to find the wolf before the wolf finds you.