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September 12, 2006
After discussions with the Health Department for the Town of Andover, Phillips Academy has decided to allow the town’s mosquito control contractor to spray the perimeters of our school athletic fields for mosquitoes. This spraying will be done when the fields are not in use during the afternoon and early evening of Wednesday, September 13. Treatment will be limited to the perimeter of the fields; the fields themselves will not be sprayed and will be reopened for student use the following day.
This type of spraying is known as barrier application, designed to knock down the current crop of mosquitoes. It is our hope and expectation that between this application and the oncoming cooler weather, we will be able to hold mosquito-borne viruses at bay. The pesticide, Anvil, is considered safe in the ultra-low doses that will be used, and it breaks down into non-harmful compounds shortly after release.
This decision to spray was based on the advice of the Andover town Health Department and after careful consideration of the risk of eastern equine encephalitis (EEE) and West Nile virus transmissions. While neither virus has been isolated in Andover, we chose to be proactive where our students are concerned. If the virus is isolated in the following weeks, our ability to spray will be compromised because the cooler nights will prohibit treatment. We believe this limited application is both prudent and appropriate, and we thank you for your anticipated understanding and support.
In accordance to state regulations, we would like to make available to you some additional information about the spraying and the pesticide being used. You can find this information on our Web site at www.andover.edu/news/mosquitocontrol06.htm.
If you have any questions, please contact Donald Whittemore at 978-749-4341 or at dwhittemore@andover.edu.
Sincerely,
Donald Whittemore Deborah Russell
Associate Director, Operations Occupational & Environmental
Safety Manager
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