No Risk in Mosquito Spraying

From UC Davis:

In what researchers say is the first public health study of the aerial mosquito spraying method to prevent West Nile virus, a UC Davis study analyzed emergency department records from Sacramento area hospitals during and immediately after aerial sprayings in the summer of 2005.

The Sacramento-Yolo Mosquito and Vector Control District provided the aerial spraying data.

The data also comes at the same time, the mosquito district is considering whether to spray the West Sacramento area in an effort to prevent the spread of West Nile Virus.

Of particular concern for the district is a 25,000-acre patch of North Sacramento County, north of the American River, where many dead birds have tested positive for the West Nile virus and where an inventory of multiple mosquito samples has also tested positive.

To date, 18 dead birds and 58 mosquito samples have tested positive for West Nile virus in the county. One human case has been reported by the California Department of Public Health.

The West Nile activity, while intensifying in Sacramento County, is widespread. In Yolo County six dead birds and 19 mosquito samples have also tested positive for West Nile virus. Most of the birds that tested positive are of the American crow species. No humans have tested positive for the virus in Yolo County in 2013.

No formal decision has been made on the spraying, which would be used to reduce adult mosquito population.

"Dead" NASA Satellite Coming Back to Earth

The sky isn't following, but an old NASA satellite is.

A dead 6.5 ton NASA UARS satellite would make its re-entry into Earth's atmosphere on Friday, Sept. 23, bringing along a chance to watch a spectacular sky show. But NASA is still not sure where on Earth the satellite would land.

NASA added that the debris from the defunct satellite would not cause harm to humans.

NASA conducted a detailed re-entry risk assessment for UARS in 2002 and it showed that the debris from

UARS is not harmful to human beings. Following are the excerpts of the study:
* Number of potentially hazardous objects expected to survive: 26
* Total mass of objects expected to survive: 532 kg
* Estimated human casualty risk (updated to 2011): About 1 in 3200

Re-entry is expected sometime during Firday afternoon, Eastern Daylight Time. However, NASA said the satellite will not be passing over North America during that time period.

One can track the UARS satellite real-time at n2yo.com, a site created exclusively for FoxNews.
The 20-year-old satellite of the size of a bus was originally expected to re-enter the Earth's atmosphere either late September or early October but the re-entry has advanced due to a sharp increase in solar activity since the beginning of this week.