Tell the EPA to keep GMO mosquitoes out of our environment!

Soon our wild places and communities could be overrun with millions of experimental GMO mosquitoes. Scientists have found that GMO mosquitoes can breed with wild mosquitoes, creating hybrid mosquitoes that may spread more viruses and be more resistant to insecticides.

In other words, GMO mosquitoes could make public health problems even worse. With your help, we can stop these experimental mosquitoes before they are released from labs into our environment.

Comments

Dear EPA Staff:

I urge the Environmental Protection Agency to reject Oxitec’s application to release genetically engineered mosquitoes in Florida, Texas or anywhere in the U.S. This experiment would pose risks to our environment, our health and may impact the economies of Florida and Texas, both of which depend on tourism.
 
While limiting mosquito populations and the spread of mosquito-borne disease is important, this experiment is risky for our environment and public health and is fraught with many unanswered and critical questions. In addition, there are promising and less costly alternatives to addressing mosquito-borne diseases with far fewer risks.

We request that the EPA reject Oxitec’s application for genetically engineered mosquitoes. Further:

•	Since this is the first genetically engineered insect to be reviewed as a pesticide, the EPA must reveal its analysis of the environmental, health and social impacts of Oxitec’s GMO mosquito release proposal;
•	The EPA must form a committee of independent ecologists and entomologists, public health experts (including dengue fever and zika virus specialists), and other key experts and public stakeholders to review the proposal from Oxitec;
•	The EPA must convene public meetings in Monroe County, FL (the Florida Keys) and Harris County, Texas, advertised in the Federal Register, for public comment and review of the company’s proposal with the above committee present; and 
•	The EPA must develop new regulations for genetically engineered insects that are designed to be bio-pesticides. Only after these regulations are in place should EPA consider an application for genetically engineered insects.

Our government agencies must not rely only on data from the companies that would profit from genetically engineered organisms to decide what information the public and regulators should know. Until the above requests are met, the application for the field release of genetically engineered mosquitoes must not be allowed to move forward.

Sincerely,
{user_data~First name} {user_data~Last name}
{user_data~State}, {user_data~Postcode}

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