Tourists Get Sprayed

Caroline Taylor (Letters, April 1) quite correctly insists that the state should require that hotels/motels notify their guests at registration when spraying is scheduled.

The position taken by the (state) Department of Agriculture is that they see no need for the state to require hotels/motels to notify their guests. However, the Department of Health Services takes the position of advising residents of communities to be sprayed that they should take some simple general precautions to reduce avoidable exposure to any potentially hazardous chemical. They ask you to stay indoors (great for tourists who have limited time and budget), remove clothing from outdoor lines and cover playground facilities. They should also be cautioning hotels to cover their swimming pools.

So, why aren’t tourists being warned? Their physiology is the same as ours. No doubt because it’s bad for business, and the last thing the state wants is any more unfavorable publicity. The bottom line is that, once again, dollars are valued more than people as we slip further into moral bankruptcy.

PHILLIP CUTLER

Costa Mesa