Florida authorities plan to release at least 750 million genetically modified mosquitoes in the Florida Keys by 2021.
The widely criticized move is said to be taking place to determine if a genetically modified mosquito is better than the option of spraying insecticides to control Aedes aegypti, which typically carry diseases such as chikungunya, yellow fever, Zika, and more, reported Fox News.
What are the details?
Local authorities on Tuesday officially announced the project, which drew criticism from local residents and groups for environmental prediction.
The controversial project has already received state and federal approval.
In a statement issued Wednesday, Jaydee Hanson, policy director for the International Center for Technology Assessment and the Center for Food Safety, said, “The administration has used tax dollars and government funds for an ‘Jurassic Park’ experiment.”
“Now the Monroe County Mosquito Control District has given the final approval. What could possibly go wrong?” Hanson added. “We do not know, because EPA has unjustifiably refused to seriously analyze environmental risks, now without further evaluation of the risks, the experiment can continue.”
’95 percent suppression ‘
In May, the EPA approved the use of genetically engineered mosquitoes from the British company Oxitec.
The genetically modified male mosquito is called OX5034. The mosquito breed has been genetically modified to cause the larval death of female mosquitoes, which bite and transmit diseases. Men feed only on nectar and do not spread disease. The end result would be a sharp decline in the Aedes-Aegypti population.
Environmental authorities tried to choose from other avenues before opting for the genetically engineered mosquitoes, including use of pesticides and introduction into the local ecosystem of mosquito-feeding fish.
Nathan Rose, director of regulatory affairs at Oxitec, told UPI, “We have shown that the release of mosquitoes in a neighborhood results in 95 percent suppression compared to areas with no release.”
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