Symptom complaints following aerial spraying with biological insecticide Foray 48B
A study in tomorrow’s New Zealand Medical Journal investigated symptoms and health perceptions in West Auckland
residents within the MAF aerial spray zone for the painted apple moth. It found that upper airway, gastrointestinal and
neuropsychiatric symptoms increased significantly after spraying and that there was a reduction in overall perceptions
of health.
Researchers says that while they found that spraying was associated with some adverse health effects, more research is
needed to establish a causal link.
Although overall self-ratings of health decreased following the spraying, most residents believed their health was
unaffected by the spray programme and there was no significant increase in visits to GPs or alternative healthcare
providers.