The Environment Protection Agency (EPA) in Florida, United States has approved a project to release 750 million genetically engineered mosquitoes into the Florida Keys islands in 2021 and 2022.
The project aims to reduce mosquito populations that carry deadly diseases by designing male mosquitoes that carry a protein ensuring that any female offspring will die, and only male offspring will survive, according to BBC. Only female mosquitoes bite humans, as male mosquitoes feed on nectar.
The genetically modified mosquito is named OX5034.
The Aedes aegypti species of mosquitoes spread diseases like dengue, Zika, chikungunya and yellow fever, but in many areas have grown resistant to pesticides.
The project has provoked hefty opposition from residents and environmentalists. Over 240,000 people have signed a petition saying they will not be ‘used as a testing ground for these mutant bugs,’ according to BBC.
‘The release of genetically engineered mosquitoes will needlessly put Floridians, the environment and endangered species at risk in the midst of a pandemic,’ said Dana Perls from Friends of the Earth, according to CNN.
However, Oxitec, the company responsible for the project, says the mosquitoes pose no risk for the environment or humans.
‘Our aim is to empower governments and communities of all sizes to effectively and sustainably control these disease-spreading mosquitoes without harmful impact on the environment and without complex, costly operations. The potential for our technology to do so is unmatched, and this EPA approval will allow us to take the first steps towards making it available in the US,’ said Grey Frandsen, Oxitec CEO in a statement.
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