Pending suitable weather, the Suffolk County Department of Health Services vector control division will treat south-of-the-highway areas of Napeague and Beach Hampton with the mosquito-control pesticide Anvil early on Thursday morning.
The county said it will ground-spray all streets between Sandpiper Lane and Dolphin Drive between 5 and 8 a.m. with an ultra-low volume aerosol form of Anvil.
"The materials used by vector control do not leave significant residues on surfaces, but exposure can be reduced even further" by picking homegrown produce prior to spraying, bringing laundry and yard toys inside before spraying, keeping pets and pet food containers indoors, and covering ornamental ponds during spraying, according to the county.
"Your chances of experiencing any health effects from spraying are quite low," the county said, but children and pregnant women should take extra care to avoid exposure.
According to the New York State Department of Health, contact with high levels of sumithrin, a component of Anvil, "can affect the nervous system, causing such effects as loss of coordination, tremors or tingling, and numbness in areas of skin contact."
"Anvil is applied at very low concentrations to control mosquitoes. It is unlikely that adverse health effects will occur as a result of this use for most people, but some individuals may experience health effects," the state says. More information on Anvil and its components can be found at health.ny.gov/publications/2738.
Suffolk County's spraying information hotline is 631-852-4939. The website to sign up for pesticide notifications is suffolkcountyny.gov/Departments/Health-Services/Public-Health/Preventive-Services/Pesticide-Application-Notification.
