To the Editor:

The summer of 2020 was among the hottest summers on record in our region. On several occasions the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection issued Code Orange Air Quality Alerts, warning of unhealthy pollution levels for sensitive groups of people, including children and people who are elderly, pregnant or have heart or respiratory disease and may experience breathing problems.

Carbon County’s most popular recreation areas, including Hickory Run, Lehigh Gorge, and Beltzville State Parks, experienced record numbers of visitors due to the excessive heat and the pandemic, which restricted travel for many vacationers. Despite the air quality alerts, these recreation areas are being heavily sprayed with pesticides. The insecticides can often be tasted in one’s mouth for several hours after spraying.

The majority of visitors to Carbon County’s recreation areas are families with small children who are especially vulnerable to the toxic effects of pesticide spraying. Spraying insecticide poisons in areas where families are attempting to enjoy the outdoors is socially and environmentally irresponsible.

In addition to undermining public health, the chemical warfare against insects in our region is destroying ecosystems, poisoning food and water, and depleting the biological diversity of our region. This needs to stop.

Juliet Perrin

Albrightsville