Fish poison poses risks to humans

Headlines in this week's Journal of the American Medical Association link the controversial rotenone fish-killing poison with devastating Parkinson's disease - in people. I'm a concerned retired physician, having long ago learned the importance of prevention of illness.

The hugely expensive helicopter spraying of wilderness lakes and streams with pesticides is misguided and dangerous, despite assurances that this is safe and the poison is harmless.

In an unexplained contradiction, potassium permanganate is used to antidote rotenone, flooding our eventual drinking water with manganese, a long-lived toxic heavy metal.

The combination is a double whammy for the entire web of life, killing tiny organisms which feed songbirds, potentially affecting wolverines, deer, elk, moose, bears and, now, humans, or anything that drinks it or eats the poison-laden dead fish. A recent escape of poison reportedly killed many fish downstream from the target kill zone.

Early well-intentioned reassurances of safety were false: Some fatal illnesses can take a long time to develop - think of cigarettes and tobacco's tragedies.

The ticking bomb of poisoned water can backfire and harm our fishing, hunting and tourism industries big time and should be stopped now. Why risk human health, legal repercussions and expense from needlessly spreading this deadly brain poison?

Please share your concerns with our governor, legislators, fish and wildlife departments, tourism and other agencies concerned with wildlife, nature, fishing, hunting and human health.

Gene Grove lives in Whitefish.