8 TH BE .A'-U DU; BONE BU Leer ee 
With the lack of birds in the Blue Island area this year, only time will 
tell if nature’s balance has been upset. What may have looked like a catas- 
trophe in the eyes of some, could also have been a greater catastrophe if 
the beetles had spread to a hundred square miles instead of only twenty- 
five. It is hoped that this will provide an incentive for scientists to work 
out more specific insect killers. 
Unfortunately, the Japanese beetle program is still being conducted and 
thousands of acres have now been deluged with Heptachlor by federal and 
state agencies. No one can foresee the total harm which may result from 
this careless use of strong chlorinated hydrocarbon insecticides. We now 
know the seriousness of the more immediate results, but the residue of the 
chemical will remain in the soil for three to six, or more, years! What will 
happen to the micro-organisms in the soil during this long period? What 
will happen to the insect larvae, the worms, the reptiles and amphibians, 
the rodents, and other life in the soil which form important food chains 
that are essential to nature’s balance? 
When part of the vital food-chain is broken or weakened, a whole com- 
plex of related forms must suffer. This disturbs all thinking conservation- 
ists and impels them, and us, to demand that broadcasting of toxic chemi- 
cals for control of the Japanese beetle (and other pests) be stopped in 
favor of local treatments to known infestations. 
A new regulation of the Food and Drug Administration announced on 
October 27, 1959, has reduced the spray-residue tolerance for Heptachlor 
and Heptachlor epoxide on 384 fruits and vegetables from 0.1 part per 
million to ZERO. Included in this list of 34 products is alfalfa, clover, and 
grass! How, then, can the U.S.D.A. and state agencies continue broadcast- 
ing of Heptachlor on pasture and croplands? The residue cannot be washed 
off fruit and vegetables. The U.S.D.A. distributes a sheet of precautions 
to persons whose properties are to be treated. These sheets state that “leafy 
vegetables in your garden, such as lettuce, cabbage, turnip greens, etc., 
should be covered prior to application of insecticides and then washed be- 
fore eating.”’ But who can cover a field of vegetables? 
Since the residue in the soil may wash into streams, ponds and even into 
public water supplies, medical and public health authorities are increasing- 
ly disturbed at the hazard to people. Heptachlor accumulates in the bodies 
of people as it does in the bodies of wild or domestic animals, birds, and 
other organisms. 
The Food and Drug Administration should have more inspectors to ex- 
amine milk, meat, fruit, and vegetables for Heptachlor content in order to 
prevent shipments containing chemical residue from reaching the market. 
Historically, the use of Heptachlor and insecticides is dramatic, but now 
how long must we reap the unfortunate results — why should spraying 
be continued? 
LITERATURE CITED 
1. Organic Gardening and Farming, 1959: ‘‘The Case Against Poison Spray.’’ 
Peters, Harold S., 1959: ‘‘Late News from the Fire Ant Front.’’ National Audubon 
Society, 55th Annual Convention. 
3. Southeastern Association of Game & Fish Commissioners, Columbia, S.C.: ‘‘The Fire 
Ant Eradication Program and How It Affects Wildlife.’’ Proceedings Symposium, 1958. 
2528 Collins Ave., Blue Island, Ill. 
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