Memories of Miss Memory

On my way home from Singapore on Gulf Air, we were about 40 mins from touchdown when a comforting female voice came over the PA system,

“Attention passengers, due to Australian Health regulations, we are required to spray the cabin with insecticide, we apologise for any inconvenience.”

Being a curiously paranoid kind of person, I grabbed my cute blue gulf air blanket and my eye mask. Imagining i was about to be struggling for breath (yes my imagination overextends itself sometimes), I pulled the eye mask awkwardly over my mouth and stuck the blanket over my head. Then continued trying to read my book.

I must have looked a little silly, but what the heck, i just wrote on my arrival card that i was an “artist” so therefore I am allowed a certain quotient of eccentricity.

The flight attendants walked past 3 times spraying the air around me and i waited patiently under my blanket until i realised that it was inevitable that i was going to breathe the stuff in via the recycled air conditioning, so after about 7 minutes i relented and came out from under my tent.

I asked the air hostess if she could show my the can she sprayed, so I could find out the ingredients. She was a little defensive at first, but relented and brought it over. It was called “Top of Descent” and its active ingredient was D-Phenothrin 20:80. It is the same “knockdown” insecticide spray which is used on horses being transported from United Arab Emirates, Singapore and Hong Kong.

Although the World Health Organisation has approved use of this insecticide on humans, I am reminded that until very recently the WHO oversaw the spraying of families and their homes with DDT as part of their malaria control program for developing countries. D-Phenothrin is a relatively new synthetic pyrethroid, and limited studies are available.suspected to have endocrine activities through the estrogen and androgen receptors and effects on the immune system. There is also a link to breast cancer. For some interesting discussions on Australia’s disinsection policy from the Association of Air Flight Attendants, check out this link.

Upon arrival in Customs, my usual routine is to declare anything edible, and survey the process in comparison to the TV shows they have here that act as semi-scare campaigns. The customs officers were horsing around, making jokes and wisecracks. I asked them if they had inspected my customs declarations and they said they had, although no bag was opened. I thought they were acting a little relaxed, so I thought I would challenge them a little.

Me: “Can you explain to me why the cabin was sprayed with insecticide during flight?”
Customs officer: “they do that in every country before you land”
Me: “um, no they don’t”
Customs officer: “yes they do, its just you they normally do it before you board the plane”
Me: “so why was my cabin sprayed during flight instead of before or after?”
Customs officer shrugs vacantly.
Me: “is there anyone i can feedback my concerns to regarding this policy?”
Customs officer: “take it up with the airline, its nothing to do with us.”

I highly doubt this policy has nothing to do with AQIS. Upon reading the AQIS disinsection procedures, it pretty much has everything to do with them.

Singapore has a serious issue with Dengue Fever, a disease like Ross River Fever, passed on by mosquitoes, and there is a huge community awareness campaign to get citizens to be vigilant in removing stagnant bodies of water around their homes.
I can imagine that perhaps this is why AQIS have this routine in place on routes from Singapore. However I am extremely concerned and intimidated by this practice by the Australian government without informing prior to travelling, particularly in light of the evidence mounting against these synthetic pyrethroids being safe insecticides for use on humans.