Corona sprayed with insecticide to fight West Nile virus, angering residents

CORONA, Calif. (KABC) -- Dozens of streets throughout Corona were sprayed with Aqua-Reslin Wednesday, an insecticide used to kill mosquitoes and prevent the spread of the West Nile virus, angering several residents who did not want their neighborhood sprayed due to concern over the chemical.

The Northwest Mosquito and Vector Control District scheduled the ground applications from 3 a.m. to 5 a.m.

Protesters attempted to block the vector control trucks and were successful at keeping the neighborhood near Border Avenue free from the insecticide.

Meanwhile, the district says "it's very important for them to take immediate action to reduce adult mosquito populations to protect human and animal health" and prevent the spread of the West Nile virus.

Twenty-three human cases of West Nile virus have been confirmed in Riverside County this year, health officials said. That's compared to 14 cases last year, and vector control officials say it's a growing risk in the neighborhood off Border Avenue.

Despite that, protesters say they rather avoid exposure.

"I think people have the right to be toxin-free. I think we have the right not to have pesticides sprayed in our yards. We would like to have a year-round control of mosquitoes doing environmentally safe methods," Christine Lampe said.

Aqua-Reslin was approved by the Environmental Protection Agency, the Northwest Mosquito and Vector Control District said in a press release. The insecticide is considered ultra-low volume and the amount of material being sprayed is 0.05 ounces per acre, which "ensures that humans, animals and crops are safe," officials said.

For more information, visit www.northwestmvcd.org/Northwestmvcd/Mosquito_spraying.html.