Running head: RISK ASSESSMENT 1

Risk Assessment
SCI/275
RISK ASSESSMENT 2


Risk Assessment
I, Adam Foxman of the Genericville city council, cannot willfully condone the usage of
the insecticide spray, Malathion. After much deliberation, I reached this decision by considering
the dose-response, exposure, risk characterization and hazard identification. If you, the other
members of the city council would like to make an informed decision as well, I would suggest
that you read the response I have prepared.
Exposure to Malathion increased the likelihood of adverse health. In fact, research
suggests that around 90 citizens may be affected and the result would be fatal for about 5% of
those (Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, 2005, Section 1). The government cannot
afford to release a toxic gas into air without literally quarantining the entire city, which is not
something this council is prepared to do. Due to lack of research in regards to the long term
effects of Malathion on the ecosystem, it would be irresponsible to allow it to be used in our city.
For all we know, it could also kill the natural predators of mosquitoes and actually increase the
spread of West Nile Virus (WNV) in the future. Until the Malathion insecticide can be proven to
be harmless to the ecosystem and to the human body, I strongly urge this council to look towards
other methods for containing the West Nile Virus.
Dose-response assessment shows that Malathion is only toxic when ingested into the
human body. Prolonged exposure to even lower levels of Malathion may lead to memory loss
(Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, 2005, Section 1). If Malathion gets into our
water supply we will have a much larger problem than just a mosquito borne illness. We will
have created an epidemic in our own town. If the council members arent swayed by the
possibility of making a decision that could lead to more illness, then consider the PR fallout. If
the council members were to be deemed responsible for the death or illness of its citizens it
RISK ASSESSMENT 3


would be disastrous for every one of us. However, if we take a different set of measures, we
wont need to find ourselves in such a liable position. For example, we can attempt to convince
the citizen that has offered to fund the pesticide movement to instead donate the money towards
research and treatment at the Genericville Hospital. That money could be used to give the staff
specialized training, research labs, new equipment and better facilities to treat people that have
contracted the WNV. In addition, we can allocate some funds to create PSAs to educate the
general population about how to detect early signs of WNV and how to best proceed from there.
This approach will have positive long term effects on the treatment of WNV and will ultimately
reflect positively on the council and its ability to protect its citizens from harm in the present and
in the future.
Allow yourselves to think of the economic concerns if Malathion were to be used. A
large part of our economy is based on summer tourism. People come from far and wide to see
our wetlands and all the varieties of wildlife that exist within them. If Malathion were to have a
negative effect on the ecosystem in the wetlands, then people would have no reason to continue
to visit. Even it did not harm the birds and fish that reside in the wetlands; nobody is going to
want to visit an area that has been sprayed with toxic chemicals. If a tourist were to become sick
or die from exposure to Malathion while visiting Genericville, we would have an economic crisis
on our hands of a magnitude this town has never seen.
The fact of the matter is, Malathion has not been properly researched to a point where it
is proven to be safe for the environment and for people. When assessing the risks, they are just
too numerous to justify the results. When identifying the hazards of Malathion, it is sickening to
think of the blight we may be inflicting upon our town. The possibility for economic,
environmental, and health issues are just too strong, especially due to the lack of research. The
RISK ASSESSMENT 4


dose-response is shown to possibly cause severe illness and even death if ingested, even in low
dosages (Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, 2005, Section 3). There is no
research that shows how long Malathion will remain in the air and in the environment, so there is
no way or knowing if we will be creating chronic exposure to our citizens. Even our data shows
that there is a probability of more illness and death from Malathion than from the West Nile
Virus itself (Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, 2005, Section 3). In conclusion,
until such a time arises that Malathion has been fully researched and perfected, its effects could
be catastrophic for our city and far outweigh its possible benefits.

References
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. (2005). Toxicologic information about insecticides
used for eradicating mosquitoes (West Nile Virus control). Malathion (CAS Number 121-75-5).
Retrieved from http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/consultations/west_nile_virus/ Malathion.html.

Center for Disease Control and Prevention. (2007). 2006 West Nile Virus activity
in the United States. West Nile Virus Statistics, Surveillance, and Control. Retrieved from
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/westnile/surv&controlCaseCount06_detailed.htm.