The Frog War threatens the environment as exterminators poison the land and water with the experimental use of concentrated caffeine.  The caffeine used is 100 times more concentrated than in a cup of coffee, and can burn the skin.  It is supposed to kill the frogs by giving them a heart attack.

Application of the caffeine requires chemical warfare-type clothing protection for applicators, since it is so dangerous.  To test caffeine’s effect on the frogs, the environment, and human health, 200 pounds of caffeine are to be applied 6 times a year for every acre treated.  Caffeine residues will coat plants and the ground and remain a threat to anything that touches it.  It is not known how long the residue will last, but people will be allowed in sprayed sites after 24 hours of spraying.  Its use as a pesticide has never before been tried.  And the impact of the caffeine spraying on non-target animals, including humans, is part of the experiment, making this a form of human experimentation without informed consent.

There is no antidote for caffeine poisoning, which could be fatal.  Since many people already consume large amounts of caffeine in soft drinks, coffee and tea, the added exposure to residues of caffeine sprayed against the frogs could quickly lead to toxic levels in the bloodstream, particularly for children and small pets.

Caffeine is known to pose a serious health threat to pregnant women, toddlers, children on asthma and psychiatric medications, adults with high blood pressure or circulatory disease, and others who may suffer from caffeine’s strong vaso-constrictive effects.  Caffeine is also a known mutagen, creating genetic mutations in bacteria, plants, animals, and birth defects in humans.  Caffeine is stable in the environment, and has become a serious contaminant of the Puget Sound and other areas throughout the U.S.  It could contaminate Hawaii’s groundwater and coastal waters, as well.  This makes the Frog War a major threat to the health of humans, animals, and the environment, and it could take years to see the full impact of the damage caused, since mutations take time to become apparent.

The Frog War also threatens the economy, as nurseries must bear the burden of the frog quarantine.  Controlling frogs at nurseries is extremely costly and impractical, and could destroy the plants that are treated for frogs.  Meanwhile, there has been no concern on the Mainland about the frogs or the import of Hawaiian agricultural products that might contain frogs or their eggs.  So the Hawaii Department of Agriculture is creating economic problems in Hawaii by its frog quarantine.  

Ironically, the exterminators at the Hawaii Department of Agriculture admit that they cannot get rid of all the frogs, especially on the Big Island and Maui, but simply hope to control their numbers, which will require continuous spraying.  While they are considering alternatives to dangerous caffeine, such as hydrated lime that dries up the frogs, no method of killing frogs has been shown effective and safe for the environment or plants.  In fact, nowhere in the world has anyone before tried to kill tree frogs, making this Frog War a total experiment with frogs, the environment, and the public.

Meanwhile, to justify killing frogs, the USDA, U.S. Department of Fish and Game, Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources, and Hawaii Department of Agriculture, along with other agencies and individuals invested in receiving Federal money for invasive species control, have been propagandizing the public to hate the frogs.  They warn about impending environmental damage, and tell people to expect sleepless nights from the frogs’ “noise”, which is compared to the sound of a lawn mower and table saw. 

Why the hype against the frogs?  If the frogs are considered an invasive pest, there can be Federal money available for invasive species eradication.  And exterminators want millions of dollars for this project, which has no end in sight.  This means this is not frog eradication, but ongoing control.  And it will be a bottomless money pit, serving only the financial interests of exterminators.

Of course, this is more than a frog war.  This is frog fraud. 

The threat is not the frogs, but those who want to poison the environment to eliminate the frogs.  They do not mind killing animals or plants, or endangering human health.  They don’t mind poisoning all the Hawaiian Island. 

These are the creators of the Frog War.  They must be stopped before they once again prove that humans are the most invasive species in Hawaii, and pose the greatest threat to the environment and the health of its citizens.

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