Plans to spray pesticide across eight Orange County cities to prevent the spread of West Nile virus were canceled Wednesday night because the contractor was unable to secure permission to fly around Disneyland, the Orange County Mosquito and Vector Control District said on its website.
The statement said an update would be provided when more details were available.
As mosquito-control officials prepared for the aerial attack on mosquitoes, residents in the drop zone worried that the chemical was unsafe.
The aerial spraying was scheduled to take place from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m. over the cities of Orange, Tustin, Villa Park and portions of Anaheim, Fountain Valley, Garden Grove, Santa Ana and Stanton, according to the Orange County Mosquito and Vector Control District.
Officials said the aerial spraying of the pesticide Duet would not require residents to stay indoors or cover outdoor pet food or water. There was also no requirement to cover cars or wash down outdoor play equipment. However, the insecticide could affect beekeepers or others who keep insects outdoors.
The pesticide was going to be sprayed in low doses from 300 feet off the ground. Officials say they would use about one tablespoon of the insecticide per acre.
"It's very specifically designed to interact with a mosquito's biology. From the droplet size that we use to the products that are involved, all of this is designed to have an impact on mosquitoes and only mosquitoes," said Laura McGowan of Clarke Environmental Mosquito Co.
But some residents were skeptical. Adrienne Holm, a member of the Garden Grove Neighborhood Association, worried about wildlife, gardens and the long term effects of the mosquito poison.
"They also said if you have a pond and fish to cover it. So for them to turn around and now say that it's OK that it's safe and it's going to dissipate. Well what about the wind and everything, and where it's going to blow it?" Holm said.
There have been protests, discussions at council meetings, even a letter from city officials asking the spraying be put on hold. But vector control says they have the legal authority to move forward.
Tim Gladysz says no one should have to suffer like he did. What he thought was a fever was diagnosed as West Nile two weeks later, when his parts of his body froze.
"The next day I woke up and the left side of my face was completely flaccid, along with my arm," he said.
A year later, he still can't lift his left arm. He is one of almost 300 people in Orange County infected with the virus last year. Nine others died.
Gladysz still doesn't know when or where he was bitten, most likely Huntington Beach, where he lives.
"I'm fortunate, what I have versus what I don't have," he said. "I'll take that."
