West Nile Watch: parts of Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Staten Island will be sprayed with pesticides tomorrow
Summer may have ended, but apparently mosquitos—and the West Nile Virus—are still an ongoing concern. So much so that, according to information sent out this afternoon by Notify NYC, parts of Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Staten Island will be sprayed with "mosquito adulticide" Wednesday night as a preventative measure against West Nile.
Spraying will take place between 8:30pm Wednesday evening and 6am the next morning in the following zip codes: 10023, 10024, 10025, 10026, 10027, and 10035 in Manhattan; 11215, 11217, 11218, 11219, 11220, 11225, 11226, 11232, and 11238 in Brooklyn; and 10309, 10312, and 10314 in Staten Island. (If weather gets in the way, this will happen in the same time frame on Thursday night/Friday morning, instead.)
You can also check out this map of spraying areas, below:
West Side Rag found this city flier with tips on protecting your health while your 'hood gets doused with insect poison; namely, stay indoors while spraying is taking place if at all possible, and take any clothing, outdoor equipment, children's toys, etc. inside during the spraying period (or be sure to wash them afterwards if that's not possible). All these caveats appear to be bringing up questions about the safety of the pesticides used among some groups. Then again, some residents of Howard Beach, where, per the Queens Chronicle, a man has contracted the virus, are saying the city may have sprayed a little too late.
The level of active pesticides used in this kind of spraying is usually pretty low, Standard Pest Management President Gil Bloom tells us, noting that some experts actually recommend higher rates than what we usually see here in the city. Still, he adds, "If you are sensitive or have other respiratory issues stay inside. If you see the trucks coming with their flashing lights go inside and take your pet with you, they tend to be lower to the ground and sniff around. [But] The material dissipates in a matter of minutes."
You can find more tips on West Nile prevention here, and comfort yourself with the knowledge that soon this will all be over, and we can start worrying about flu season instead.
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