ORLANDO, Fla. \u2013 Tech giant Google is seeking government approval to release 32 million mosquitoes into Florida \u2014 and the proposal has sparked reactions from thousands online.<\/p>\n
What the proposal says<\/p>\n
An EPA docket<\/a> shows that Google is pushing to do so as part of a \u201cdebug program<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n A Federal Register<\/a> notice earlier this year indicates that if approved for a permit, Google would release the 32 million mosquitoes into Florida over the course of two years:<\/p>\n Half in year one<\/p>\n The other half in year two<\/p>\n What Google is trying to do \u2014 and why<\/p>\n More specifically, the program is aimed at releasing sterile mosquitoes \u2014 dubbed \u201cgood bugs\u201d \u2014 to bring down populations of mosquitoes that actually spread diseases like:<\/p>\n Per officials with the program, this method could help prevent the spread of such diseases without relying on unsustainable pesticides or attempting to clear all standing water in an area \u2014 something they say is simply unfeasible.<\/p>\n How the \u201cgood bugs\u201d work<\/p>\n \u201cOur good bugs are male mosquitoes that have a naturally-occurring bacteria called Wolbachia, which makes them unable to have offspring with wild female mosquitoes,” the program\u2019s website reads.<\/p>\n Google\u2019s program describes the approach this way:<\/p>\n The released mosquitoes are\u00a0male<\/p>\n Male mosquitoes can\u2019t bite\u00a0or spread disease<\/p>\n Wolbachia makes them\u00a0unable to produce viable offspring\u00a0with wild female mosquitoes<\/p>\n The goal is to\u00a0reduce future generations\u00a0of disease-carrying mosquitoes<\/p>\n Public comments: thousands weigh in<\/p>\n Public comment on the proposal ended on June 5, though there are over 2,700 comments on the docket alone,<\/a> with many voicing opposition to the project.<\/p>\n \u201cA tech company should not be involved in this kind of genetic modifications and releasing bugs into the public,\u201d one such comment from June 18 reads<\/a>. \u201cWhat are the ramifications for the wildlife? For humans when they bite us? Has that been studied for 5 or 10 years? If so, where are the results? I am tired of humans playing God!\u201d<\/p>\n What the CDC says about modified mosquitoes<\/p>\n