Google requests US permit to release 32 million sterilized mosquitoes
Google has asked the US government for permission to release up to 32 million sterilized mosquitoes in California and Florida as part of its Debug program. The company plans to use sterile male mosquitoes raised with wolbachia bacteria to reduce populations of disease-spreading female mosquitoes. A federal register notice shows the US Environmental Protection Agency is reviewing a request to release up to 16 million mosquitoes annually in each state over two years. The EPA will decide after a public comment period that ends on 5 June. Google’s parent company Alphabet previously worked on the program through its Verily Health subsidiary, but Google fully acquired Debug in December 2024. The company says the approach, known as the sterile insect technique, has been used for decades and that similar releases in Singapore achieved 80-90% suppression of the target mosquito species and over 70% reduction in dengue cases. Google’s initial efforts focus on the Aedes aegypti mosquito, which spreads diseases such as dengue, Zika, yellow fever and chikungunya.
What’s reported
Google requested permission to release up to 32 million sterilized mosquitoes in California and Florida.
The EPA is reviewing a request for an experimental use permit for up to 16 million mosquitoes annually per state over two years.
The public comment period on the request ends on 5 June.
Male mosquitoes do not bite or carry disease; Google is using wolbachia bacteria to sterilize them.
Google says pesticides are toxic, lose effectiveness over time, and clearing breeding grounds is difficult.
The sterile insect technique has been used on problem insects for decades; wolbachia sterilization has been used for about 15 years, according to University of Florida assistant professor Eric Caragata.
In Singapore, Debug reported 80-90% suppression of Aedes aegypti and more than 70% reduction in dengue incidents after 6-12 months of releases.
Google fully acquired the Debug program from its Verily Health subsidiary in December 2024.
Open questions
The EPA’s decision on Google’s experimental use permit request is not yet known.
Key figures
Linus Upson – head of Google’s Debug program
Eric Caragata – assistant professor at the University of Florida specializing in mosquito-microbe interactions
Sources: The Guardian
