Mosquito ground spraying rescheduled for Nassau; Suffolk sprays marshes Tuesday night

Ground spraying for adult mosquitoes in targeted parts of Nassau County that had been planned for Tuesday night is being rescheduled to Thursday because of the threat of rain, county health officials said Monday.

Areas to be sprayed starting at 8 p.m. Thursday through 4 a.m. Friday, weather permitting, include sections of New Cassel, Salisbury, Westbury, East Meadow, Hicksville and Levittown. Residents can view maps of treatment areas at http://www.nassaucountyny.gov/agencies/health.

The locations to be sprayed with the pesticide Scourge were selected based on "the persistent presence of West Nile virus" in mosquito samples collected there, officials said.

The chances of experiencing health effects from the ground spraying are "quite low," health officials said.

Still, residents may want to reduce or avoid exposure, with children and pregnant women especially advised to stay clear of the area during spraying and at least 30 minutes after.

Among the "common-sense steps" officials suggest are closing doors, windows and air-conditioning vents during spraying and 30 minutes after.

On deck for Tuesday is aerial spraying of some Suffolk County salt marshes from 5 a.m. to 8 p.m. in the towns of Babylon, Islip, Brookhaven, Southampton and East Hampton, county health officials said.

That's with an eye toward controlling mosquito larvae, the county health department said.

Precautions are not necessary, health officials said, as "the helicopter will be flying at a very low level over marsh areas and taking other precautions to control airborne drift into inhabited areas."

Pesticides being used, in this case, Altosid liquid, "have no significant human toxicity," officials said.