Gold Coast mayor hits back over mosquito pesticide health comments

Mayor Tom Tate has lashed out at a councillor for suggesting that fogging for mosquitoes could have ‘health impacts’ for Gold Coast residents.

MAYOR Tom Tate has lashed out at a councillor who suggested fogging for mosquitoes could pose risks for Gold Coast residents, pets and other animals.

Councillor Peter Young told ABC Radio the treatment of mosquitoes “has some health concerns”.

He said “you wouldn’t want to go walking through the fog” and “you wouldn’t want your birds to be out in the aviary”.

Councillor Peter Young said people had “raised legitimate concerns about health impacts” from council fogging against mosquitoes. Picture: Richard Gosling

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“A lot of people have raised legitimate concerns about health impacts and, from what I understand, this is a chemical, it’s going to have impacts, it’s designed to kill insects,” he said.

“So the fogging is undertaken very early in the morning when the likelihood of impacting on non-target species is really reduced.

“But my warning to people, and it’s just mine, is take caution, take protective measures.”

Cr Young advised residents to keep pets inside during fogging.

Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate said there is no evidence that council’s mosquito treatments pose any risk to residents.

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In response to concerns raised by Cr Young over the pesticide pyrocide, Cr Tate said there’s no evidence to prove the council’s mosquito treatments pose any risk.

Council workers have been spraying heavily in recent days as a mosquito plague – caused by higher than normal tides and wet weather – has driven residents from their backyards.

“I can say to the people of the Gold Coast that we have used the pesticides under Australian standards and there’s no scientific proof that there’s any harm to animals, cats and dogs, or humans,” Mr Tate said.

High numbers of mosquitoes have been seen in many Gold Coast suburbs in recent weeks.

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He said it was “disturbing” to have Mr Young “voice (his) concern” on radio because “our hotline is going off for no reason whatsoever”.

“We will find (mosquitoes) in the street, we will find them in the swamp, we will find them in the air, we’ll find them in the beaches – and we’ll kill them all,” he said.

Mr Tate said the current mosquito season was “one of the worst” he’s ever seen.

“We’ve just got to reverse the trend and quell the population of mosquitoes,” he said.

Mr Tate said residents should notice an impact on mosquito numbers in “about two weeks” when fogging “begins to have an effect”.

The council spends $2 million each year combating mosquitoes.